Examining Correctional Officers' Attitudes Toward Sexual Assault Among Male Inmates in Juvenile Detention

Since the enactment of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (2003), little attention has been devoted to effectively training Juvenile Correctional Officers (JCOs), Deputy Juvenile Probation Officers (DJCOs), and Detention Service Officers (DSOs) to understand the physical and emotional manifestations of rape and sexual assault among juvenile males during incarceration. Nothing in the literature specifically addresses how officers working with a juvenile population can use victim profiling to take preventative measures, and to reduce sexual victimization of juvenile males during their time of incarceration. This study's purpose was to obtain data pertaining to these officers' attitudes towards offender punishments, offender accountability, and victim identification.;Three surveys were distributed to a total of 300 JCOs, DJCOs, and DSOs employed by the world's largest probation department. A Senior Detention Service Officer (SDSO) randomly selected participants and distributed consent forms and surveys. Two-hundred-two participants returned surveys to the SDSO. To maintain the participants' confidentiality, each subject was assigned a number. The data analysis revealed key differences and similarities between the pre-PREA officers (6+ years on the force) and post-PREA (0-5 years) officers' attitudes towards juvenile males who are sexually victimized by fellow inmates, and their beliefs regarding the appropriate punishment for and personal accountability of the offenders. Hypotheses were tested using one-way MANOVA and univariate tests.;The response rate was estimated at 10%, but the surveys yielded a 67% rate of return with an N of 90 for the pre-PREA officers (6+ years) and an N of 112 for the post-PREA officers (0-5 years). The major findings of the study were that officers who had been with the department 6+ years scored significantly higher on Severity of Punishment for sexually assaulting inmates. However, the length of time that officer in both groups had been with the department yielded no significant difference on their attitudes towards personal accountability of those who sexually assaulted inmates.