ABSTRACT

Sexual assault in detention embraces a huge range of possible abuses and contacts, all of which should be investigated as criminal acts. Adults and children, males and females, may all be affected, and the abuses may be between those detained or between those detained and the personnel detaining them. This chapter seeks to provide an overview of the themes and issues relevant to sexual assault in detention. Lack of accurate prospective data is a problem for many of the settings in which sexual assault in detention is an issue. Where allegations of sexual assault in detention facilities, such as prisons, are received, the majority of complainants are male. The chapter emphasizes that context is vital in the development and implementation of prevention and therapeutic interventions. The sequelae of detention-based sexual assault have been poorly studied, and data are lacking. The United States has taken a proactive but somewhat slow approach to sexual assault of those in correctional facilities.