The current study examined attitudes about inmate-on-inmate sexual assault among a sample of correctional officers. The study uniquely surveyed a jail sample of correctional officers, a context that has been ignored in the research on correctional officer perceptions of sexual victimization. The study measured officer attitudes toward victim blaming, credibility of inmates who report sexual assault, definitions of sexual assault, and willingness to respond to assault incidents. Additionally, the study examined gender differences in attitudes toward victimization and attitudes toward varying types of inmates. Overall, correctional officers assigned varying levels of blame and credibility to inmates who report sexual assault. Male and female officers also had significantly different attitudes about victim blaming and credibility of inmates. In addition, the sample held diverse views of what constitutes sexual assault and their preferred responses to the issue of sexual victimization. Implications for correctional policy, training, and avenues for continued research are discussed.
AcquilinoW. S. (1994). Interview mode effects in surveys of drug and alcohol use: A field experiment. Public Opinion Quarterly, 58, 210–240.
2.
AmirM. (1971). Patterns in forcible rape. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
3.
BarnettM. A.QuackenbushS. W.SinisiC. S.WegmanC. M.OtneyK. L. (1992). Factors affecting reactions to a rape victim. Journal of Psychology, 126, 609–620.
4.
BeckA. J.HarrisonP. M.AdamsD. B. (2007). Sexual violence reported by correctional authorities, 2006. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved April 28, 2008, fromhttp://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svrca06.pdf
5.
BeckA. J.HarrisonP. M.BerzofskyM.CasparR.KrebsC. (2010). Sexual victimization in prisons and jails reported by inmates, 2008-09. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved June 6, 2011, fromhttp://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svpjri0809.pdf
6.
BellS. T.KuriloffP. J.LottesI. (1994). Understanding attributions of blame in stranger rape and date rape situations: An examination of gender, race, identification, and students social perceptions of rape victims. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24, 1719–1734.
7.
BrownmillerS. (1975). Against our will: Men, women, and rape. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
8.
CalhounL. G.SelbyJ. W.WarringL. J. (1976). Social perception of the victim’s causal role in rape: An exploratory examination of four factors. Human Relations, 29, 517–526.
9.
CampbellR.JohnsonC. R. (1997). Police officers’ perceptions of rape: Is there consistency between state law and individual beliefs?Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 255–274.
10.
ChoncoN. (1989). Sexual assaults among male inmates: A descriptive study. The Prison Journal, 69, 72–82.
11.
CorlewK. R. (2006). Congress attempts to shine a light on a dark problem: An in-depth look at the Rape Elimination Act of 2003. American Journal of Criminal Law, 33, 157–190.
12.
CottonD. J.GrothA. N. (1982). Inmate rape: Prevention and intervention. Journal of Prison and Jail Health, 2, 47–57.
13.
CullenF. T.LutzeF. E.LinkB. G.WolfeN. T. (1989). The correctional orientation of prison guards: Do officers support rehabilitation?Federal Probation, 53, 33–42.
14.
DaviesM.PollardP.ArcherJ. (2006). Effects of perpetrator gender and victim sexuality on blame toward male victims of sexual assault. Journal of Social Psychology, 146, 275–291.
15.
DaviesM.RogersP. (2006). Perceptions of male victims in depicted sexual assaults: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11, 367–377.
16.
DeMaioT. J. (1984). Social desirability and survey measurement: A review. In TurnerC. F.MartinE. (Eds.), Surveying subjective phenomena (Vol. 2, pp. 257–281). New York, NY: Russell Sage.
17.
DillmanD. (2000). Mail and internet surveys: The tailored method (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley.
18.
EigenbergH. (1989). Male rape: An empirical examination of correctional officers’ attitudes toward rape in prison. The Prison Journal, 68, 39–56.
19.
EigenbergH. (1994). Rape in male prisons: Examining the relationship between correctional officers’ attitudes toward male rape & their willingness to respond to acts of rape. In BraswellM.MontgomeryR.LombardoL. (Eds.), Prison violence (2nd ed., pp. 145–165). New York, NY: Anderson.
20.
EigenbergH. (2000a). Correctional officers and their perceptions of homosexuality, rape, & prostitution in male prisons. The Prison Journal, 80, 415–433.
21.
EigenbergH. (2000b). Correctional officers’ definitions of rape in male prisons. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28, 435–449.
22.
EstrichS. (1987). Real rape. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
23.
FarkasM. A. (1999). Correctional officer attitudes toward inmates and working with inmates in a “get tough” era. Journal of Criminal Justice, 27, 495–506.
24.
Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994).
25.
FeildH. S. (1978). Attitudes toward rape: A comparative analysis of police, rapists, crisis counselors, and citizens. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 156–179.
26.
Feldman-SummersS.LindnerK. (1976). Perceptions of victims and defendants in criminal assault cases. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 3, 135–150.
27.
Feldman-SummersS.PalmerG. C. (1980). Rape as viewed by judges, prosecutors, and police officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 7, 19–40.
28.
FishmanJ. (1934). Sex in prison: Revealing sex conditions in American prisons. New York, NY: National Library.
29.
GoodmanG. S.BottomsB. L.HerscoviciB. B.ShaverP. (1989). Determinants of the child victim’s perceived credibility. In CeciS. J.RossD. F.TogliaM. P. (Eds.), Perspectives on children’s testimony (pp. 1–22). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
30.
GriffinM. L. (2002). The influence of professional orientation on detention officers’ attitudes towards the use of force. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29, 250–277.
31.
GuerinoP.BeckA. J. (2011). Sexual victimization reported by adult correctional authorities, 2007-2008. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved June 6, 2011, fromhttp://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svraca0708.pdf
32.
HowardJ. A. (1984a). Societal influences on attribution: Blaming some victims more than others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 494–505.
33.
HowardJ. A. (1984b). The “normal” victim: The effects of gender stereotypes on reactions to victims. Social Psychology Quarterly, 47, 270.–281.
34.
JacksonH.NuttallR. (1994). Effects of gender, age, and history of abuse on social workers’ judgments of sexual abuse allegations. Social Work Research, 18, 105–113.
35.
JonesE. F.ForrestJ. D. (1992). Under-reporting of abortion in surveys of U.S. women: 1986-1988. Demography29, 113–126.
36.
JonesR.SchmidT. (1989). Inmates’ conceptions of prison sexual assault. The Prison Journal, 69, 53–61.
Junger-TasJ.MarshallI. H. (1999). The self-report methodology in crime research. In TonryM. (Ed.), Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, 25, 291–367.
39.
JurikN. C. (1985). Individual and organizational determinants of correctional officer attitudes toward inmates. Criminology, 23, 523–540.
40.
KanekarS.KolsawallaM. B. (1980). Responsibility of a rape victim in relation to her respectability, attractiveness, and provocativeness. Journal of Social Psychology, 112, 153–154.
41.
KassingL. R.PrietoL. R. (2003). The rape myth and blame-based beliefs of counselors-in- training toward male victims of rape. Journal of Counseling & Development, 81, 455–461.
42.
KiferM.HemmensC.StohrM. K. (2003). The goals of corrections: Perspectives from the line. Criminal Justice Review, 28, 47–69.
43.
KlofasJ.TochH. (1982). The guard subculture myth. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 19, 238–254.
44.
LaFreeG. D.ReskinB. F.VisherC. A. (1985). Jurors’ response to victims’ behavior and legal issues in sexual assault trials. Social Problems, 32, 389–407.
45.
LockwoodD. (1980). Prison sexual violence. New York, NY: Elsevier.
46.
MaCraeC. N.ShepherdJ. W. (1989). Sex differences in the perception of rape victims. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 278–288.
47.
McCaulK. D.VeltumL. G.BoyechkoV.CrawfordJ. J. (1990). Understanding attributions of victim blame for rape: Sex, violence, and foreseeability. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 1–26.
MoonB.MaxwellS. R. (2004). Assessing the correctional orientation of corrections officers in South Korea. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 48, 729–743.
50.
NacciP. L.KaneT. R. (1984). Sex and sexual aggression in federal prisons: Inmate involvement and employee impact. Federal Probation, 48, 46–53.
51.
National Institute of Corrections & The Moss Group, Inc. (2006). Staff perspectives: Sexual violence in adult prisons and jails. Retrieved June 6, 2011, fromhttp://nicic.gov/Library/021619
52.
National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. (2009). National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Report. Retrieved June 10, 2010, fromhttp://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/226680.pdf
53.
O’DonohueW.ElliottA.NickersonM.ValentineS. (1992). Perceived credibility of children’s sexual abuse allegations: Effects of gender and sexual attitudes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 7, 147–155.
54.
O’TooleM. (1997). Jails and prisons: The numbers say they are more different than generally assumed. American Jails, 11, 27–31.
55.
PerrottS.WebberN. (1996). Attitudes towards male and female victims of sexual assault: Implications and services to the male victim. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 8, 19–38.
56.
PetersiliaJ. (2003). When prisoners come home: Parole and prisoner reentry. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
57.
PogrebinM. R.PooleE. D. (1998). Women deputies and jail work. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 14, 117–134.
58.
PollardP. (1992). Judgments about victims and attackers in depicted rapes: A review. British Psychological Society, 31, 307–326.
59.
Prison Rape Elimination Act, S.1435, 108th Congress (2003).
60.
PughM. D. (1983). Contributory fault and rape convictions: Loglinear models for blaming the victim. Social Psychology Quarterly, 46, 233–242.
61.
ResS.1435, 108 Cong., (2003) (enacted).
62.
SabolW. J. (2008a). Jail inmates at Midyear 2007. United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved October 10, 2008, fromhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/jim07.pdf
63.
SabolW. J. (2008b). Prison inmates at midyear 2007. United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved October 10, 2008, fromhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pim07.pdf
64.
SchullerR. A.HastingsP. A. (2002). Complainant sexual history evidence: Its impact on mock jurors’ decisions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 252–261.
65.
SchullerR. A.StewartA. (2000). Police responses to sexual assault complaints: The role of perpetrator/complainant intoxication. Law and Human Behavior, 24, 535–551.
66.
SchwarzN.StrackF.HipplerH. J.BishopG. (1991). The impact of administration mode on response effects in survey measurement. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 5, 193–212.
67.
SmithN.BatiukE. (1989). Sexual victimization and inmate social interaction. The Prison Journal, 69, 29–38.
68.
SpearsJ. W.SpohnC. C. (1996). The genuine victim and prosecutors’ charging decisions in sexual assault cases. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 20, 183–205.
69.
StephanJ. J. (2001). Census of jails, 1999. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved September 19, 2008, fromhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cj99.pdf
70.
StephanJ. J. (2008). Census of state and federal correctional facilities, 2005. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved September 19, 2008, fromhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/csfcf05.pdf
71.
Struckman-JohnsonC.Struckman-JohnsonD. (1992). Acceptance of male rape myths among college men and women. Sex Roles, 27, 85–100.
72.
TewksburyR.MustaineE. E. (2008). Correctional orientations of prison staff. The Prison Journal, 88, 207–233.
73.
ThornberryT. P.KrohnM. D. (2000). The self-report method for measuring delinquency and crime. In DuffeeD.McDowallD.Ostrom B.Crutchfield R. D. MastrofskiS. D.MazerolleL. G. (Eds.), Measurement and analysis of crime and justice (pp. 33–83) Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
74.
ThorntonB.RyckmanR. M.RobbinsM. A. (1982). The relationships of observer characteristics to beliefs in the causal responsibility of victims of sexual assault. Human Relations, 35, 321–330.
75.
TochH.KlofasJ. (1982). Alienation and desire for job enrichment among correction officers. Federal Probation, 46, 35–44.
76.
TorreyM. (1991). When will we be believed? Rape myths and the idea of a fair trial in rape prosecutions. University of California, Davis, Law Review, 24, 1013–1071.
77.
TravisJ.SolomanA. L.WaulM. (2001). From prison to home: The dimensions and consequences of prisoner reentry. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
78.
TurnerC. F.LesslerJ. T.DevoreJ. (1992). Effects of mode of administration and wording on reporting of drug use. In TurnerC. F.LesslerJ. T.GfroererG. C. (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (pp. 177–220). Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services.
79.
WeisK.BorgesS. S. (1975). Victimology and rape: The case of the legitimate victim. In SchultzL. (Ed.), Rape victimology (pp. 91–141). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
80.
WeissC.FriarD. (1974). Terror in the prisons: Homosexual rape & why society condones it. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.
81.
WhatleyM. A. (2005). The effect of participant sex, victim dress, and traditional attitudes on causal judgments for marital rape victims. Journal of Family Violence, 20, 191–200.
82.
WhiteheadJ.LinquistC.KlofasJ. (1987). Correctional officer professional orientation: A replication of the Klofas-Toch measure. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14, 468–486.
83.
WoodenW.ParkerJ. (1982). Men behind bars: Sexual exploitation in prison. New York, NY: Plenum.
