Monday, July 13, 2009

How Often Are Men Raped In U.S. Prisons?

Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff. Corrections officers and other staff have also been targeted and have become victims of rape by prison inmates.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 140,000 inmates are raped in the US each year, and there is a significant variation in the rates of prison rape by race. Stop Prisoner Rape, Inc. statistics indicate that there are more men raped in U.S. prisons than non-incarcerated women similarly assaulted.
They estimate that young men are five times more likely to be attacked; and that the prison rape victims are ten times more likely to contract a deadly disease.

According to the study conducted by the United States Department of Justice for the year 2006, there were 2,205 allegations of inmate-on-inmate nonconsensual sexual acts reported, total, in the U.S. prison system. 262 of the allegations were substantiated.

In 2003, the U.S. Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, Public Law 108-79, now codified 45 U.S.C. 15601 to 15609.

It would also be interesting to learn how many men are raped among the civilian population.

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