Prevalence and Predictors of Sexual Victimization Among Incarcerated Men and Women in Spanish Prisons

Abstract

Little is known about the prevalence of sexual victimization (SV) in prisons located outside the United States or the relationship between SV and current substance use (SU) among incarcerated persons. This study explores the prevalence of SV inside Spanish prisons and the association between SV and SU experience based on data collected from a sample of inmates aged 18 or older ( N = 2,709) located in eight prisons in the southeast of Spain. The estimated prevalence of SV over a 6-month period was 6.6%, with higher rates for females (12.0%) than men (6.1%). SU while incarcerated and history of childhood SV were significantly correlated with SV inside prison. This evidence suggests the need for integrated SU and trauma treatment, along with strong prevention interventions to reduce the risk of SV among inmates in Spanish prisons.

Mental disorder and victimisation in prison: Examining the role of mental health treatment

“…Substantial numbers of prisoners have a mental disorder (Fazel & Seewald, ; James & Glaze, ) with the prevalence of mental disorder being much higher among prisoners than in the general population (Diamond et al, ; Prins, ). Among the many concerns this may raise is the safety of these individuals within prisons, particularly since research has shown that having a mental illness significantly increases the risk of victimisation (Blitz et al, ; Caravaca‐Sanchez & Wolff, ; Teasdale et al, ; Wolff et al, ).…”

“…When researchers have investigated becoming a victim in this context, they have simply identified having a mental disorder, typically, a serious disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, as a risk factor for victimisation or compared the prevalence of victimisation among disordered prisoners and non‐disordered prisoners (Blitz et al, ; Caravaca‐Sanchez & Wolff, ; Wolff et al, ). As such, the role that specific mental disorders or psychiatric symptoms may play in such risk has been relatively unexplored (Pare & Logan, ).…”

Associations Among Psychological Distress, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Social Support, and Resilience in Incarcerate Men

“…This outside view of prison informs the perceptions of those entering prisons, heightening safety concerns and catalyzing fears. Although the fear of sexual assault during incarceration may be democratized, the actual risk of being sexually assaulted in prison significantly increases for men with mental illness and experiences of childhood sexual abuse (Caravaca-Sánchez & Wolff, 2016; Wolff et al, 2007). In this context, the positive association between exposure to childhood sexual abuse and psychological distress during incarceration makes rational sense.…”

Understanding Polyvictimization in Prison: Prevalence and Predictors Among Men Inmates in Spain

“…Wooldredge and Steiner (2013) also found that perceptions of correctional staff as unfair increased the chances of victimization among inmates who endorsed those views, whereas Kuo et al (2014) found that greater satisfaction with how staff handled victimization reduced the chances of physical victimization. Similarly, the risk of sexual victimization increases with being White, younger age, time incarcerated, had prison disciplinary infractions or juvenile detentions, mental illness, or committed crimes against persons or sex offenders (Austin, Fabelo, Gunter, & McGinnis, 2006; Beck et al, 2013; Caravaca-Sánchez & Wolff, 2016a; Hensley, Koscheski, & Tewksbury, 2005; Hensley & Tewksbury, 2002; Morash, Jeong, Bohmert, & Bush, 2012; Simpson et al, 2016; Struckman-Johnson & Struckman-Johnson, 2000; Wolff et al, 2007). And finally, the odds of psychological victimization has been found to increase with younger age, sex offense, mental illness, and negative attitudes toward the institution and staff (Kuo et al, 2014).…”