Sexual Assault In Prison

Delineation and Overview In March of 2018, a Chicago cop was charged with sexually assaulting an apprehended suspect that was in the hospital.46-year-old officer Carlyle Calhoun was arrested following investigation that included swabbing of his mouth. Calhoun was reported to have grabbed the victim’s ankles and genitals while he was in his hospital room. The harsh reality is that these types of crimes occur very often in correctional environments. Sexual assault is referred to as any act that involves a perpetrator that makes physical contact with another individual through forced coercion of a sexual nature. Sexual assault can occur at any place, time, or to any person. Sexual assault does not discriminate and it effects people of various

Sexual assault acts in prisons are often committed through means of fear, blackmail, (sometimes subtle) intimidation and excused under the prerogative that “consent was granted”. Consent is defined by the University of Michigan Policy & Procedures as the event where one gives permission to engage in sexual activity with another. (UMN,2014) “When you’re in prison and the guard watching you has the keys to your cell, weapons at his disposal and the ability to make your life tolerable or a living hell, it gets pretty tough to tell when sex with him is truly consensual.” (Smith. Michael,2011) Similar to the scenario referenced in paragraph one with the Chicago officer, this quote supports the concept that prison rape and related sexual assault acts are often perpetrated by both inmates and prison personnel. The Prison Rape Elimination Act’s goal is to prevent these events from occurring through initiatives, statistical data, and

The mere thought of sexual assault occurring within prison was viewed by the public as being an inevitable aspect of the punishment and circumstance that the prisoner “had coming” or “deserved’. We are often reminded of the term “if you can’t do the time don’t the time.” This mindset has evolved significantly over time. The first conceptualized attempt at legislation to address the issue of prison rape and sexual assault was introduced by Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D--MI) in 1999. The concept of the proposed bill was conceptualized as the establishment of a database for correctional staff determined to be involved in sexual behavior with prison inmates. The proposed bill was ultimately shot down and never considered again. Ironically, Conyers would later resign from his position in the midst of allegations of sexual misconduct and laundering of finances. The only other legislation related to acts of sexual assault was a policy put in place for women dubbed the Violence Against Women Act of 1992. Personnel that were responsible with addressing the issue included the Association of State Correctional Administrators and American Correctional