Table of ContentsSummaryThe Dark Truth of Life Behind BarsConclusionSummaryRape is the most closely guarded secret in America's prisons. Modern prisons and jails are designed to protect inmates from each other and allow for constant criminal supervision. However, incarceration creates a high risk of sexual victimization for men. Prisoners are subject to and experience sexual violence inside prisons, further exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases. The consequences of sexual violence follow the individual into society upon release. It is a reality of prison life that destabilizes inmates, staff and administration alike. Such exploitation is generally unknown, moderately understood and insufficiently addressed. Levels of sexual victimization differ by age, appearance, and sexual orientation. Sexual violence in prison is a serious public health problem that requires targeted interventions to prevent and ameliorate its health and social consequences. The Prison Rape Elimination Act, established in 2003, addressed the problem of sexual violence in U.S. correctional facilities, but it failed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The dark truth of life behind bars Being raped is terrible, but having to see your attacker every day with the possibility Being raped again is a never-ending fear that many inmates face. According to the Bureau of Justice, between 2011 and 2012, 29,300 prisoners reported an incident involving another inmate, 34,100 reported an incident involving facility staff, and 5,500 reported an incident involving another inmate and staff. (Beck, Berzofsky, Caspar, & Krebs, 2013). But these statistics do not include the many cases that go unreported due to embarrassment, threats of retaliation, fear of being labeled gay, or the belief that there is no point in coming forward. prison authorities. Although prison rape is ubiquitous, many people find it normal and even ridiculous, "don't drop the soap", "sleep on your back or someone else will". Prison rape is not normal and has enormous consequences if left untreated. “To understand the dynamics of sexual victimization, one must be aware of the prison subculture and its code of conduct precisely as it relates to sexual behavior in prison.” A diversity of sexual behavior is evident in men's prisons. These include the following: the "kid" or "punk", who is an inmate forced to play a sexually obedient role, the "stud" or "jocker", are men who have sex with homosexuals or punks, the "queen". " or "sissy", is a homosexual or transsexual man who adopts stereotypical feminine mannerisms and primarily plays the obedient sexual role, and "homosexual" or "gay" are men who are more diverse in their sexual activity, who engage in both active and passive sexual activities, and who display few feminine manners. Some prisoners are chosen to be sexually assaulted based on their age, appearance, sexual orientation, and other characteristics such as their. feminine appearance One example is that of Dee Farmer, a young transsexual with "overtly feminine characteristics" who was brutally raped two weeks after arriving at a maximum security federal prison. Nevertheless, an inmate does not need.to look like a woman to be exposed to sexual assault. Many people might believe that the perpetrators of rape in a men's prison are mostly homosexuals. On the contrary, “5.5% of men in prison are gay or bisexual”. Gay people are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than to be perpetrators. The fundamentals of race and ethnicity have a difficult and significant impact on the problem of inmate sexual abuse. According to almost all reports from the late 1960s and 1970s, prison victims were white and perpetrators were African American (Kunzel, 2008, p. 151). “Sociologist Leo Carroll was struck by the frequency with which sexual assaults were interracial and estimated that 75% or more of sexual assaults involved black assailants and white victims” (Kunzel, 2008, p. 151). Prison abusers are often taller or stronger than their victims, confident, physically aggressive, and more comfortable in the prison atmosphere. They are often part of gangs and become rapists to control their victims or to offer them protection. Once an inmate is “marked” by sexual abuse in prison, victims are often viewed as obedient and weak, which creates further opportunities for victimization. Some cases of rape occur because there is a lack of appropriate criminal supervision, while other cases of rape occur in a closely monitored environment (Lockwood, 1980, p. 90). “The effects of sexual victimization in prison have been linked to numerous psychological consequences. The main psychological conditions that individuals often face after sexual victimization are post-traumatic stress disorder, stress response syndrome, and rape trauma syndrome” (Magus, n.d.). The spread of HIV, which causes the AIDS virus, is also a serious problem for victims of prison rape. “In 1997, it was estimated that between 35,000 and 47,000 prisoners were infected with HIV and another 8,900 suffered from AIDS.” In 1994, Michael Blucker claimed he contracted HIV from constant rape at the Menard Correctional Center. He tested HIV negative after being sent to Menard in May 1993, but was HIV positive when tested again in April. Blucker sued the Illinois Department of Corrections, pressuring Representative Cal Skinner, Jr., an Illinois state representative, to establish legislation to protect prisoners from rape. The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed by Congress in 2003 to combat sexual victimization in prisons. across the United States. The purpose of this policy is to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse in prison. PREA established a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual abuse in correctional facilities. As a result of PREA policy, training programs for correctional staff have been developed to combat sexual assault among inmates. “Understanding the psychological and physical consequences of prison rape benefits not only the victims of the assault, but also the community and the victim’s family members.” After the adoption of the PREA policy, correctional officers felt that the standards were too strict, that they should not apply to all institutions, that they should be voluntary, and that the policy is too focused on LGBT prisoners. Some officials believe that the federal government interferes too much in local settlement policies and creates additional work for no good reason. These.