A more recent study of abuse among jail inmates is reported in Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002. According to Table 5.6, 18.2% of all jail inmates reported having been either physically or sexually abused. While 13.4% of male inmates reported prior abuse, well over half (55.3%) of female inmates had been abused. Of those men who reported abuse, 11.2% said they had been physically abused, while 4% said it was sexual abuse. For women, the percentages were much higher: 44.9% had been physically abused and 35.9% had been sexually abused. Overall more inmates reported in 2002 that the abuse had occurred before the age of eighteen; however, among female inmates in 2002, more reported abuse after age eighteen. More than 92% knew their abuser, and a parent or guardian had been the abuser in 47.9% of the cases overall.
The same study found that over 46% of jail inmates reported having a close relative who had also been in jail. Over 18% of jail inmates said their father had been incarcerated, 31.4% a brother, and 8.9% a sister. (See Table 5.7.) Nearly 20% of inmates reported that a parent or guardian had abused alcohol when they were growing
TABLE 5.6
Prior physical or sexual abuse of jail inmates, 2002 and 1996
| Percent of all jail inmates | ||||||
| All | Male | Female | ||||
| 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 | |
| Ever physically or sexually abused | 18.2% | 16.4% | 13.4% | 12.9% | 55.3% | 47.5% |
| Before age 18 | 10.9 | 11.6 | 9.7 | 10.6 | 20.3 | 20.8 |
| After age 18 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 25.2 | 10.9 |
| Both | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 9.7 | 15.8 |
| Physically abused | 15.1% | 13.3% | 11.2% | 10.7% | 44.9% | 37.2% |
| Sexually abused | 7.7 | 8.7 | 4.0 | 5.6 | 35.9 | 37.1 |
| Relationship to abuser | Percent of abused inmates | |||||
| Knew abuser | 92.4% | 86.6% | 92.5% | 87.9% | 92.1% | 90.3% |
| Parent/guardian | 47.9 | 53.2 | 59.7 | 60.1 | 25.7 | 36.3 |
| Intimate* | 30.0 | 16.6 | 10.5 | 3.5 | 66.7 | 47.7 |
| Other relatives | 17.3 | 24.4 | 16.4 | 21.6 | 18.9 | 31.3 |
| Friend/acquaintance | 20.7 | 23.1 | 13.9 | 21.7 | 33.5 | 26.4 |
| Did not know abuser | 7.6% | 13.4% | 7.5% | 12.1% | 7.9% | 17.9% |
| Note: Details adds to more than total because more than 1 person may have abused inmates; or some inmates were both physically and sexually abused. | ||||||
| *Includes (ex) spouse, (ex) boyfriend, and (ex) girlfriend. | ||||||
TABLE 5.7
Family background of jail inmates, 2002 and 1996
| 2002 | 1996 | |
| Person(s) lived with most of the time while growing up: | ||
| Both parents | 43.6% | 39.7% |
| Mother only | 39.2 | 43.3 |
| Father only | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Grandparents | 10.3 | 7.0 |
| Other | 2.5 | 5.2 |
| Ever lived in a foster home, agency, or institution while growing up | 11.5% | 13.6% |
| Family member ever incarcerated | ||
| Total* | 46.3% | 46.1% |
| Father | 18.6 | 17.1 |
| Mother | 7.1 | 4.4 |
| Brother | 31.4 | 30.3 |
| Sister | 8.9 | 6.2 |
| Spouse | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| Child | 3.5 | 1.3 |
| Parent or guardian ever abused alcohol or drugs while inmate was growing up | ||
| Alcohol | 19.9% | 23.1% |
| Drugs | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Both alcohol and drugs | 8.6 | 6.9 |
| *Details may not add to total because more than one response was possible. | ||
up. In addition, 2.1% reported that a parent or guardian had abused drugs, and 8.6% reported the use of both drugs and alcohol by a parent or guardian. Less than half of all inmates (43.6%) had been raised in a two-parent family.
TABLE 5.8
Jail inmates with a restraining order, 2002
| Percent of jail inmates | |||
| Restraining order | All | Violent | Non-violent |
| Ever under order | 18.6% | 24.3% | 16.7% |
| At admission | 5.1 | 7.3 | 4.4 |
| Ever violated | 4.4% | 5.1% | 4.1% |
| Violation charge at admission | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Percent of inmates ever under a restraining order | |||
| Person who sought order* | |||
| Parent | 3.8% | 5.1% | 3.1% |
| Intimate* | 75.1 | 73.1 | 76.4 |
| Other relative | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| Other nonrelative | 20.5 | 22.1 | 19.3 |
| Note: Details add to more than total because more than one person may have sought restraining order. | |||
| *Includes (ex-) spouse, (ex-) boyfriend, and (ex-) girlfriend. | |||
Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002 also reported that 18.6% of jail inmates had been under a restraining order at some time. (See Table 5.8.) A restraining order is issued by a court and forbids a named individual from visiting or even approaching the person who has asked for the order. Restraining orders are usually requested by those who fear they may be violently attacked by a former spouse or boyfriend. Over 75% of the restraining orders against jail inmates had been requested by their intimate partners.
TABLE 5.9
Estimated number of state and federal prisoners with minor children, by gender, 1991 and 1999
| State prisoners | Federal prisoners | |||||
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | |
| Number of parents | ||||||
| 1991 | 413,100 | 386,500 | 26,600 | 39,400 | 36,500 | 2,900 |
| 1999 | 642,300 | 593,800 | 48,500 | 79,200 | 74,100 | 5,100 |
| Number of minor children | ||||||
| 1991 | 852,300 | 794,500 | 57,800 | 84,200 | 78,300 | 5,900 |
| 1999 | 1,324,900 | 1,209,400 | 115,500 | 173,900 | 163,300 | 10,600 |
| Note: Numbers are estimates based on responses to the 1991 and 1997 Surveys of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, and custody counts from the National Prisoner Statistics program. | ||||||
User Comments Add a comment…