Inmates' Cultural Beliefs About Sexual Violence and Their Relationship to Definitions of Sexual Assault

Effective strategies aimed at prison sexual assault require inmates to possess the same definition of sexual assault as prison administrations. This article argues that prison culture is rape-supportive and inmates may not define sexual assault as such. After analyzing questionnaire responses given...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of offender rehabilitation 2010-04, Vol.49 (3), p.180-199
Main Authors: Fowler, Shannon K., Blackburn, Ashley G., Marquart, James W., Mullings, Janet L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assaults
Attitude Change
Belief & doubt
Beliefs
Correctional Institutions
Correctional System
Definitions
Institutionalized Persons
Males
Prison Culture
Prisoners
Questionnaires
Rape
rape-supportive beliefs
Research Responses
Sex crimes
Sexual Assault
Sexual Harassment
Statistical Analysis
Violence
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Summary:Effective strategies aimed at prison sexual assault require inmates to possess the same definition of sexual assault as prison administrations. This article argues that prison culture is rape-supportive and inmates may not define sexual assault as such. After analyzing questionnaire responses given by male and female inmates in a large Southern prison system, results suggest that increases in subscriptions to inmate rape-supportive beliefs restrict acts of sexual violence from being defined as sexual assaults. Policy recommendations focus on changing inmate culture in addition to informing inmates about what behaviors constitute prison organizations' definition of sexual assault.
ISSN:1050-9674
1540-8558
DOI:10.1080/10509671003666578