Anyone Can Be a Victim of Rape

Men, women, and children of every age, income level, and social standing can be victims of sexual violence in county and municipal jails. Inmates who tend to be victimized are gay, young, transgender, mentally ill, incarcerated for non-violent offenses, and incarcerated for the first time.

Oftentimes, however, victims of sexual assault will not report the sexual assault immediately after it happens. There are many reasons they don’t automatically report a sexual assault. These are a few:

• They may have been threatened by the abuser
• They blame themselves for the assault
• They are in confusion about the event

Sexual assault that occurs behind bars is a form of torture in the U.S. and violates international human rights law. This is true whether it is committed by staff or fellow inmates.

The survivors of sexual assault in jails go through the same reactions during the aftermath of the assault as other victims of sexual assault. If they don’t get confidential counseling in the aftermath, many jail rape survivors develop serious long-term problems such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictions to alcohol or drugs.

Incarcerated survivors are at great risk for infection because of the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases in detention facilities. Approximately 95% of the time, inmates bring their emotional trauma and medical conditions to their communities once they are released.

Helping inmates with helpful resources is the purpose of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor