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Sexual Abuse Within Juvenile Facilities
Katelyn Manzi
Liberty University
CJUS 321- D01
Professor Bundy
May 2, 2022
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Abstract
Sexual victimization within correctional facilities has been an issue that has gone ignored for
decades. This issue is not isolated within adult facilities either, youth in custody experience
sexual violence or abuse just as often as the adults in custody. Although the Bureau of Justice
Statistics do show that the number of sexual victimizations reported by youth has decreased since
2012, it is still a very prevalent issue within the correctional facilities. Youth-on-youth and staff-
on-youth are the two forms of sexual abuse experienced in these facilities with surprisingly
males reporting higher rates compared to the women. The victims of these assaults suffer trauma
that tends to follow them into their adult lives. For example, depression, PTSD, low self-esteem,
and drug addictions are some of the things sexual assault victims may experience and deal with
following the traumatic event. It is prevalent how urgent the need for something to be done to
stop this. While there are government acts and policies put in place, obviously people break
rules. That being said, some recommendations to help this issue would include ways to prevent
or at least reduce the prevalence of the issue. To do this, strategies may include understanding
adolescent development, identifying red flags, appropriate supervision, training of the staff and
youth, and maintaining zero tolerance of sexual abuse.
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Juvenile correctional facilities are described as secured housing facilities for youth
offenders. The main purpose of juvenile detention centers is to keep youth who have committed
crimes away from the public. Since formed over a century ago, the Juvenile Justice System
comprises of courts, the police as well as youth correctional centers created purposely to prevent
harsh punishment reserved for adult offenders. Within these facilities, youth experience sexual
victimization from both the staff and their peers. The Bureau of Justice Statistics states that the
rate of sexual abuse reported by youth in 2012 was at 9.5% but since then has declined and
reported at 7.1% in 2018. Of this 7.1%, 5.8% of youth reported that the victimization had been
by facility staff and 2.1% of that involved force or coercion. The remainder of the youth had
reported sexual victimization by another youth in their facility which involved force. Although
the reported rates of victimization have declined, the issue has not been resolved.
Of course, most correctional staff in the United States have repeatedly denied all
allegations of sexual assault against the youth in their facilities, but the reports shown in the
Bureau of Justice prove otherwise. Sexual abuse of youth in custody is not limited to physical
acts, it can include nonphysical behaviors as well (Smith & Yarussi, 2013). Usually, these
nonphysical acts happen before the physical ones. They typically lead into the physical aspects.
These acts may include flirting, forming inappropriate connections, or exchanging letters and/or
pictures. To prevent these actions there are some government policies put into place that make
these acts with youth illegal. The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed unanimously by the
U.S. congress in 2003. Also known as PREA, the act culmination of a collaborative effort
between human rights, faith-based, and prison rape advocacy groups aimed at creating zero
tolerance for prison rape by using a combination of data collection, grants to the states, training
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and tech assistance to states, research, and development of national standards (Smith & Yarussi,
2013). PREA specifically refers to prisons but is applied in both adult and juvenile settings.
In no situation does the Bible condone rape and this does not exclude prisons or juvenile
facilities. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,
divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (English Standard Version
Bible, 2001). Although this verse just references sex and rape as a sin, rape is seen many times
throughout the Bible. 2 Samuel 13:14 says, “But he would not listen to her, and being stronger
than she, he violated her and lay with her” (English Standard Version, 2001). Every instance in
which rape occurred throughout the Bible, God punished the rapists and society needs to
continue punishing those who sexually victimize our youth. Teaching this mindset to the youth in
the facilities and also to the officers could help prevent or reduce the rate of victimization.
Not only is the experience a severely traumatic event for the victim, but the abuse also
almost always follows the youth into adulthood in the form of psychological impairments. Smith
and Yarussi states that youth victims of sexual victimization can experience increased levels of
mental illnesses (2013). The adolescent often experiences a significant change in brain
development and function (Smith & Yarussi, 2103). These youth have a greater chance of
becoming a victimizer and drug addicts than those who did not experience sexual victimization
in their youth. Sexual abuse experienced during their youth also has been correlated with higher
levels of depression, guilt, self-blame, eating disorders, shame, anxiety, repression, denial, and
even sexual and relationship problems (Hall & Hall, 2011). Of these, depression has shown to be
the most common long-term affect for survivors. They may think very negatively of themselves
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due to not being able to externalize the abuse and after years of self-doubt and negative thoughts
the survivors avoid others and start to feel unworthy (Hartman, et al., 1987). Although all of
these long-term effects are very common for victims of sexual abuse, every individual is unique
and will process and deal with the trauma in a different way (Hall & Hall, 2011).
With everything being said, there is clearly an urgent need for an effective and permanent
solution to be put into place concerning this issue.
Recommendations
Although statistics given by the Bureau of Justice show that rates of sexual victimization
reported by youth have decreased since 2012, there is still an urgent need for change within the
juvenile correction facilities because it is still happening. Although preventing the sexual abuse
of youth in custody may seem like a difficult and daunting task, internal policies and training35
for both staff and youth can help. Smith and Yarussi speak on prevention methods for this issue
(2013). The actions they recommend be taken include things such as maintaining the zero-
tolerance policy for sexual abuse of youth, training the staff and youth, providing appropriate
supervision of the youth, encouraging the reporting of all sexual abuse within the individual
agencies, and implementing and following the Prison Rape Elimination Act and its juvenile
standards.
The first of their suggestions is to maintain the zero tolerance for sexual abuse of youth.
This policy goes hand in hand with their suggestion of the Prison Rape Elimination Act and is
stated like this, “(a) An agency shall have a written policy mandating zero tolerance toward all
forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment and outlining the agency’s approach to preventing,
detecting, and responding to such conduct. (b) An agency shall employ or designate an upper-
level, agency-wide PREA coordinator with sufficient time and authority to develop, implement,
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and oversee agency efforts to comply with the PREA standards in all of its facilities. (c) Where
an agency operates more than one facility, each facility shall designate a PREA compliance
manager with sufficient time and authority to coordinate the facility’s efforts to comply with the
PREA standards” (2013). The act specifically is aimed towards both youth-on-youth and staff-
on-youth misconduct. To make sure the act is enforced facilities hire staff and officers, and while
some of these staff end up committing the things they’re supposed to be preventing, there are
also policies within the act that require video-monitoring to catch them.
Since the Prison Rape Elimination Act was enacted, juvenile agencies have worked to
develop policies that comply with the national standards. In conclusion, sexual victimization
against youths in custody continues to be a very serious and prevalent issue in society. Based on
statistics given by the Bureau of Justice, numbers are declining but they are still being reported
every day. Ways to reduce the number of reports or even prevent the rape from happening
include making sure facilities are following the PREA, applying appropriate supervision of the
youths, encouraging the youth to trust their officers enough to report misconduct, and
encouraging religious preaching within the facilities.
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Reference
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Hall, M., & Hall, J. (2011). The long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse: Counseling
implications. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://www.counseling.org/docs/disaster-
and-trauma_sexual-abuse/long-term-effects-of-childhood-sexual-abuse.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Hartman, M., Finn, S., & Leon, G. (1987). Sexual-abuse experiences in a clinical population:
Comparisons of familial and nonfamilial abuse. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research,
Practice, Training, 24(2), 154-159.
Smith, B. V., & Yarussi, J. M. (2013). U.S. Department of Justice R T ME N T OFJU p a STI E
c ... - info.nicic.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from
https://info.nicic.gov/nicrp/system/files/026309.pdf
Smith, E. L. (2018). Sexual victimization reported by youth in juvenile facilities, 2018. Bureau of
Justice Statistics. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from
https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/sexual-victimization-reported-youth-juvenile-
facilities-2018#:~:text=The%20overall%20rate%20of%20sexual,that%20involved
%20force%20or%20coercion.
