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| New Study Sheds Light on Prison Sexual Predators |
| By The Kansas City Star |
| Published: 01/23/2006 |
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Sexual violence is a grim reality of prison life. But the image of a hulking, older inmate preying on a younger, weaker one doesn't tell the whole story. Jail and prison employees, not other inmates, are the most frequent offenders, according to the first national survey of sexual violence reported in correctional institutions. A new Bureau of Justice Statistics report collected information from more than 2,700 facilities that reported about 8,200 incidents in 2004. Staff sexual misconduct toward inmates accounted for 42 percent of incidents. That included consensual and nonconsensual sexual activity. Verbal sexual harassment by staff made up 11 percent. Nonconsensual acts between inmates, such as rape and sodomy, made up 37 percent. Inmate-on-inmate, abusive sexual touching made up 10 percent. Kansas and Missouri mirrored national numbers. Missouri reported 45 sexual misconduct incidents by staff. Sixteen were substantiated. In Kansas, 13 of 39 reported staff misconduct incidents were substantiated. In contrast, there were 17 inmate-on-inmate, nonconsensual sex acts reported last year in Missouri. Three were substantiated. Kansas had 21 incidents reported, and two were substantiated. The survey was conducted as part of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. While staff-inmate sexual contact is a felony in most states, it is a misdemeanor under federal law, absent force or threats. As a result, many federal prosecutors are reluctant to file cases, according to a report from the Department of Justice's inspector general. Inspector General Glenn Fine said he presented 163 cases for prosecution in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 against Federal Bureau of Prisons employees. Prosecutors accepted 73, and 65 resulted in convictions, he reported. Most got probation; only 8 percent got a sentence of more than one year, he reported. Fine recommended that the federal law be increased to a felony with a maximum five-year sentence. The Missouri and Kansas corrections departments have programs to combat sexual abuse. New inmates in both states receive information about sexual assault prevention and ways to safely report incidents. New employees are trained to recognize signs of sexual victimization and protect inmates who make reports. They learn the rules and consequences of staff-inmate contact. Each Kansas prison has a coordinator for sexual abuse prevention and reporting. In Missouri, a Prison Rape Elimination team is developing better ways to deal with the problem more effectively. A spokesman said Missouri was aiming for an institutional culture of zero tolerance. |
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