This report presents counts and rates of allegations of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate sexual victimization across all types of adult correctional facilities. Summary-level information is presented for 2019 and 2020 separately. Detailed information about substantiated incidents of sexual victimization is presented as aggregated estimates for 2019 and 2020, so those estimates reflect both years.
In contrast to prior reports, allegations and substantiated incidents of inmate-on-inmate sexual harassment are presented with the other two types of inmate-perpetrated victimization: nonconsensual sexual acts and abusive sexual contact. This change to reporting sexual victimization facilitates the ability to present trends across these victimization types and better aligns with future data collections.
- Correctional administrators reported 36,264 allegations of sexual victimization in 2020, a 5% decrease from 2019 (38,132).
- The rate of total substantiated incidents of sexual victimization in 2020 (1.2 incidents per 1,000 inmates) was not significantly different from the rate for any year since 2014.
- In 2020, there were 9,321 allegations of inmate-on-inmate sexual harassment, 8,628 of staff sexual misconduct, 7,449 of staff sexual harassment, 6,370 of nonconsensual sexual acts, and 4,496 of abusive sexual contact.
- During 2019–20, nearly 82% of inmate-on-inmate incidents were reported by the victim, while 38% of staff-on-inmate incidents were reported by the victim.