Correlates of Juvenile Sexual Victimization from the National Survey of Youth in Custody

• In Event: Varied Perspectives on Violence and Victimization among Inmates: A Look at Risk, Prevalence, and Prevention

Abstract

Sexual victimization in prisons is not a new phenomenon and although scholars have primarily conducted research on adult inmates few have explored correlates of sexual victimization among juvenile detainees. Whether the extensive findings from the body of literature on adult inmate sexual victimization can be applied to juvenile detainees remains to be seen. With the mandate to gather sexual victimization data among juvenile detainees through the National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC) data collection in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) data availability is no longer a barrier for researchers. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports provide a rich descriptive account of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities that support further scientific inquiry into the correlates of these assaults. Two cross-sectional NSYC data sets are housed at ICPSR; however, the enclaved nature of the data remains a hurdle to its widespread exploration and likely contributes to the lack of scholarly research. Using the NSYC data collections from 2008-2009 and 2012, we explore a variety of multilevel risk factors for various forms of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities and investigate the relationships between institutional structural-level factors and type of victimization during a 12-month retrospective period of residential placement.

Authors

• Eileen M. Ahlin, Penn State Harrisburg

• Maria Joao Lobo Antunes, Towson University