Knowledge of Rape and its Impact on the Fear of Rape in Prisons

• In Event: Examining the Fear and Perception of Crime in a Variety of Contexts

Abstract

Past research shows that women are both more likely to be victims of rape and exhibit more fear of rape than men. However, there is a widespread cultural understanding that rape occurs in male prisons, but this is less true of female prisons. This paper utilizes the Rational Fear of Rape thesis which posits that knowledge of one’s increased likelihood of rape victimization increases one’s fear of rape. As few studies examine fear of rape in prison, this research addresses a gap in the literature regarding gender differences in fear of rape in prison. For this analysis, Fleisher and Kiernert’s (2006) “Ethno-Methodological Study of the Subculture of Prison Inmate Sexuality in the United States, 2004-2005” was used. The sample consisted of male and female inmates from state correctional institutions in ten different states. This analysis used three logistic regression models, finding that male inmates were 249% more likely than females to fear rape. Further analyses show that men’s fear of rape is explained by knowledge of rape in the immediate environment but does not extrapolate to women.

Author

• A. Davies Robinson, Kent State University