Prison rape in context

Fear of sexual violence is a defining characteristic of the prison experience in the United States. Rape has been a key theme in the literature on imprisonment since at least the 1930s. There is evidence - from prison argot and epidemiological studies in particular - that this problem is not as ingr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: O'Donnell, Ian (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
Published: 2004
In: The British journal of criminology
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
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Availability in Tübingen:Present in Tübingen.
IFK: In: Z 7
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Summary:Fear of sexual violence is a defining characteristic of the prison experience in the United States. Rape has been a key theme in the literature on imprisonment since at least the 1930s. There is evidence - from prison argot and epidemiological studies in particular - that this problem is not as ingrained in the UK. Clearly there is more at play here than sexual deprivation and the pains of confinement, which know no jurisdictional boundary. It is suggested that the answer may lie, to some extent at least, in the poisonous history of race relations in the United States: prison rape can be seen as a legacy of slavery and the lynch mob. The particularity of the US situation may also be explained in part by higher levels of violence in society more generally and a cynical attitude on the part of prison staff
ISSN:0007-0955
DOI:10.1093/bjc/44.2.241