Eastern Kentucky University
Differences in Perceptions of Sexual Assault between White and Nonwhite Female Inmates
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
James Wells
Abstract
Despite the fact that a number of studies have examined violence in women’s correctional facilities, no study I am aware of has focused on how race influences inmate perceptions of sexual violence. The data utilized for this study were obtained as a result of a previously funded National Institute of Corrections cooperative agreement that developed the Women’s Correctional Safety Scales (WCSS), an instrument designed to measure the climate of violence in female correctional institutions. Using data from 4040 female inmates housed in fifteen correctional facilities located in seven different states, the influence of race on inmate perceptions of sexual violence were examined in both jails and prisons. We discuss the implications of findings for future research and correctional practice.
Differences in Perceptions of Sexual Assault between White and Nonwhite Female Inmates
Despite the fact that a number of studies have examined violence in women’s correctional facilities, no study I am aware of has focused on how race influences inmate perceptions of sexual violence. The data utilized for this study were obtained as a result of a previously funded National Institute of Corrections cooperative agreement that developed the Women’s Correctional Safety Scales (WCSS), an instrument designed to measure the climate of violence in female correctional institutions. Using data from 4040 female inmates housed in fifteen correctional facilities located in seven different states, the influence of race on inmate perceptions of sexual violence were examined in both jails and prisons. We discuss the implications of findings for future research and correctional practice.