A study of the National Commission on Correctional Health estimated that in 1997:

• 35,000 - 47,000 inmates were infected with HIV,
• 46,000 – 76,000 inmates had syphilis
• 43,000 had Chlamydia
• 18,000 had gonorrhea
• 36,000 had hepatitis B
• 303,000 – 332,000 has hepatitis C

(all diseases that can be communicated through sexual contact)

• In many states guards have access to and are encouraged to review the inmates' personal history files (this includes any record of complaints against themselves or other prison authorities).
• Sometimes guards threaten to take away the prisoners' children and visitation rights as a means of silencing the women.
• Sometimes male correctional officials retaliate-often brutally-against female inmates who complain about sexual assault and harassment.

Ineffective formal procedures, legislation and reporting capacity within U.S. jails and prisons account for much of the ongoing sexual abuse of women prisoners.

• In 1997, according to the US Justice Department, only ten prison employees in the entire federal system were disciplined; only seven were prosecuted.
• If a prison official is found guilty, he is often simply transferred to another facility (also known as being "walked off the yard") instead of being fired.
• The inmate can be transferred to another facility.

• Young: 75% are between the ages of 25 and 34.
• Low Income: 50% lived below the poverty line and were unemployed when arrested.
• Women of Color: African-American women are 8 times more likely to receive jail sentences than European-American women. In California, the state with the largest population of women in prison, 46% are African American and 30% are Latina.
• Mothers: 78% are mothers of dependent children.
• Non-Violent Offenders: 75% are incarcerated for non-violent offenses.

The imbalance of power between inmates and guards involves the use of direct physical force and indirect force based on the prisoners' total dependency on officers for basic necessities and the guards' ability to withhold privileges. The officer is in complete charge of a prisoner's well-being. Some women are coerced into sex for favors or to avoid punishment. Others willingly use sex for favors, and when they try to end these inappropriate relationships, they suffer retaliation.

• The few studies that have been done on prisoner rape reveal astonishing rates of abuse. A recent study of prisons in four Midwestern states found that approximately 20 percent of male inmates reported a pressured or forced sex incident while incarcerated. About nine percent of male inmates reported that that they had been raped. Unfortunately, no conclusive nationwide data exist.

Following an incident of rape, victims may experience vaginal or rectal bleeding, soreness and bruising (and much worse in the case of violent attacks), insomnia, nausea, shock, disbelief, withdrawal, anger, shame, guilt, and humiliation. Long-term consequences may include post traumatic stress disorder, rape trauma syndrome, ongoing fear, nightmares, flashbacks, self-hatred, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicide.

• Though anyone can become a victim, those who tend to be targeted for male prisoner-on-prisoner rape include those who are younger, smaller, and gay (or possess feminine traits). Many are first-time or non-violent offenders in the early part of their sentences who are unable to defend themselves or who lack the protection that comes with gang membership.

• Prisoner rape is violation of international human rights law that meets the definition of torture: the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering for an illicit purpose and committed, consented, or acquiesced to by public officials. The rape of persons in detention has been classified as torture by several international bodies. In addition, the U.S. has ratified treaties that prohibit torture, slavery, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, without exception.

• In short, the response to prisoner rape has been indifferent and irresponsible. Reporting procedures-where they exist-are often ineffectual, and complaints by prisoners about sexual assault are routinely ignored by prison staff and government authorities. In general, corrections officers are not adequately trained to prevent sexual assault or to treat survivors after an attack.