Principal Investigators: Valerie Jenness, Ph.D. and Cheryl Maxson, Ph.D. , University of California, Irvine
This research is designed to address the main objective of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003—to reduce prison rape in the U.S. and to respond to it more effectively when it does occur. To contribute to larger efforts along these lines, the main objective of the proposed project is to undertake empirical research designed to understand the parameters of the problem of sexual assault in particular and violence more generally in California correctional facilities. The larger goal is to meet this objective in a way that facilitates the creation and evaluation of a viable intervention designed to respond to sexual assault in correctional facilities and maximize the probability of it being reported by inmates and correctional personnel when it does occur. In short, the value of this research lies in its ability to provide empirical findings that can guide the development of viable policy and programmatic interventions designed to respond to sexual assault in both youth and adult correctional facilities in California.
Consistent with the larger goals of the PREA, the proposed research is best described as a “needs assessment” designed to understand the parameters of sexual assault and other types of violence in California correctional facilities. Unlike the wide-ranging scope of the PREA, this research is designed to collect data on violence in general and inmate-on-inmate sexual assault in particular in correctional facilities housing adult and juvenile male inmates in California. Given how little is known about the parameters of sexual assault in correctional facilities in California, this research is designed to identify and understand the demographic, attitudinal, and organizational factors that facilitate and hinder prison violence, especially sexual assault, and whether or not incidents get reported to correctional personnel. We seek to answer two interrelated questions: How often, under what conditions, and to whom and by whom do sexual assaults occur? What factors influence the probability of violence, including sexual assault, occurring and being reported?
To address these questions, we plan to collect data on key features of the facilities’ policies, physical structure, administration and staff, inmates and wards, and incidents of violence, including sexual assault. The goal is to identify factors and conditions that increase the probability of assault—sexual and otherwise—occurring under specific conditions and involving specific types of inmates. Doing so will ultimately inform a larger discussion about what interventions are most viable in terms of reducing sexual assault and encouraging reporting when it does occur.