Webchats

Sexual Victimization in Prisons: Moving Toward Elimination
According to a report released in December of 2007 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 60,500 state and federal prisoners reported one or more incidents of sexual victimization within the year.  Nationwide, 2.1 percent of inmates reported an incident involving another inmate, and 2.9 percent reported an incident involving facility staff members.

The results come from research mandated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which establishes a zero-tolerance standard for the incidence of rape in U.S. prisons.

Previously only a few, small research studies investigated sexual violence in correctional institutions. Further, as the rate of women's imprisonment has increased over the past 20 years, so has the interest in women's prison research - the studies conducted highlight a culture of sex and adverse effects of victimization that are unique to female correctional settings, and must be considered.

This expert chat, sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School's Government Innovators Network and the National Institute of Justice, featured a panel of experts who discussed the state of PREA research - what data is available and what's yet to come - and examined how we will move from better understanding to reliable prevention and eventual elimination. Ample time was allocated for audience Q&A.

To hear the audio recording of this event click here.

For a transcript of the webchat click here.

Podcasts

1. Exposing Sexual Violence Behind Bars: The Implementation Of The Prison Rape Act. WCL, November 2, 2006.

Radio

1. Juvenile Sex Offenders: Laws and Treatment Options. WAMU American University Radio, Washington, DC; The Kojo Nnamdi Show, March 22, 2007.
   
2. Male Prisoner Rape. KMOX Radio. St. Louis; Justice for All, April 1, 2007.

Videoconferences

1. A Town Hall Meeting: Addressing the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, January 10, 2005.
   
2. Addressing Staff Sexual Misconduct with Offenders. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, December 12, 2001.
   
3. Achieving Excellence in Correctional Victim Services through Collaboration. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2006. (Broadcast pending 09/11/06-09/15/06)
   
4. Preventing Sexual Abuse of Children and Youth in Custody. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, June 28, 2006.

Videos

1. Facing Prison Rape: Part 1: How the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Affects.  Dir. Pip Gilmour Productions. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, in collaboration with The Moss Group Inc., (CA 04S18GJA7),  2004.
   
2. Making Choices: Don’t Cross the Line. Dir. Arizona Department of Corrections Video Studios, 1999.
   
3. Responding to Prisoner Rape: Part 2: Assessing Your Agency’s Response to Prison Sexual Assault. Pip Gilmour Productions. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, in collaboration with The Moss Group Inc., (CA 04S18GJA7), 2005.
   
4. The Touch: Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Law Enforcement. Dir. Unknown. Co-Star International, Inc., 2000.
   
5. Turned Out: Sexual Assault Behind Bars Dir.  Jonathan Schwartz. Interlock Media, Inc., 2004.
   
6. We Are Not Who You Think We Are. Dir. Robin Smith. Video/Action Fund, 1993.