Examining the Traumatic Effects of Sexual Victimization on the Health of Incarcerated Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald H. Aday ◽  
Meredith Huey Dye ◽  
Amanda K. Kaiser
2021 ◽  
pp. 155708512110456
Author(s):  
Kathleen Darcy ◽  
Gina Fedock ◽  
Sheryl Pimlott Kubiak

Incarcerated women experience staff-perpetrated sexual victimization at high rates, yet limited research exists regarding women’s experiences of this victimization while on probation and parole, particularly regarding their formal reporting decisions. This qualitative study explored the formal reporting decisions for 10 women who experienced staff-perpetrated sexual victimization while on parole. Women who formally reported their victimization experiences qualitatively differed from non-reporting women in terms of the dynamics and their identification of victimization (e.g., viewing as support vs. fear) and in the types of structural barriers (e.g., vulnerability and cautionary tales) they encountered. These findings highlight policy, practice, theory, and research directions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110358
Author(s):  
Nancy Wolff ◽  
Eva Aizpurua ◽  
Dan Peng

Victimization is common inside prisons and much remains unknown about the predictors of violence against incarcerated women. A sample of 564 incarcerated women was used to examine the link between in-prison victimization, childhood (physical, sexual, and emotional) harm, and mental illness. Nearly half or more of women reported childhood harm and over one-quarter experienced in-prison victimization. Childhood harm fell into four latent classes and low sexual abuse and high abuse classes predicted resident-on-resident sexual victimization, as did single types of childhood harm. Current depressive symptoms and perceptions of overcrowding predicted physical and sexual victimization perpetrated by residents and correctional staff.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie E. Karlsson ◽  
Melissa J. Zielinski

Incarcerated women evidence high rates of both interpersonal trauma and mental illness. In particular, the rates of sexual violence victimization are so high that some researchers have suggested that sexual abuse may be a pathway to prison for women, likely through the development of mental illness, including substance abuse. This review article summarizes the literature on sexual victimization ( n = 32 articles; 28 independent studies) and mental illness ( n = 11 articles; 8 independent studies) prevalence among samples of incarcerated women ( Ns ≥ 100) in context of methodological choices within included articles. Best estimates for sexual victimization from studies using established survey methods were as follows: 50–66% for child sexual abuse, 28–68% for adult sexual abuse, and 56–82% for lifetime sexual assault. Although data directly comparing prevalence of sexual victimization among incarcerated women to prevalence for other groups are limited, the existing data indicate that incarcerated women have significantly greater exposure than incarcerated men and community samples of women. Moreover, compared to findings from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, incarcerated women evidence greater prevalence of most lifetime and current mental illnesses, especially depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. Surprisingly, only two independent studies have investigated the overlap between sexual victimization and mental illness in samples of incarcerated women. Both studies found disproportionally high rates of mental illness among victims of sexual violence. Suggestions and implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 685-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majel R. Baker ◽  
Patricia A. Frazier ◽  
Christiaan Greer ◽  
Jacob A. Paulsen ◽  
Kelli Howard ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 672-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viann N. Nguyen-Feng ◽  
Majel R. Baker ◽  
Addie N. Merians ◽  
Patricia A. Frazier

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document