United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-06-22 monographic deposited born digital 36 p. GA 1.13:GGD-99-104 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104 P0b002ee180379ef5 f:gg99104 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104 GGD-99-104 Correctional personnel Correctional facilities Statistical data Women Prisoners Sexual harassment Sanctions Ethical conduct California District of Columbia Texas Letter Report GGD

Most U.S. correctional jurisdictions recognize that sexual misconduct by staff against inmates is a problem that cannot be tolerated. Staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct covers a wide range of behaviors, from lewd remarks to voyeurism to assault and rape. As of April 1999, the federal government, 41 states, and the District of Columbia had passed laws criminalizing some types of staff sexual misconduct in prisons. Also, most U.S. correctional systems have participated in training to help them develop policies and procedures to deal with such misconduct. The four correctional systems that GAO studied--the federal Bureau of Prisons, the California Department of Corrections, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the District of Columbia's correctional system--have or were in the process of developing policies to ban staff sexual misconduct. However, GAO's work in the four jurisdictions found that sexual misconduct persists. Between 1995 and 1998, female inmates in the three largest jurisdictions GAO studied made 506 allegations of staff sexual misconduct; 92 of them were sustained, generally resulting in staff firings or resignations. But the full extent of sexual misconduct is unknown because two of the three jurisdictions did not provide data on all types of allegations. Of the four jurisdictions, only the Bureau of Prisons reported any criminal convictions under sexual misconduct laws from 1995 to 1998. All four jurisdictions were involved in at least two civil lawsuits arising from staff sexual misconduct during this period. Officials in the four jurisdictions cited a lack of evidence as the primary reason why more allegations were not sustained. Generally, none of the four jurisdictions GAO studied had readily available, comprehensive data or reports on the number, the nature, and the outcome of staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct allegations. The absence of such systematic information makes it difficult for lawmakers, corrections management, and others to effectively address the problem. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104.pdf GAO/GGD-99-104 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-104 Letter Report GAO/GGD-99-104; Women in Prison: Sexual Misconduct by Correctional Staff; Correctional personnel Correctional facilities Statistical data Women Prisoners Sexual harassment Sanctions Ethical conduct California District of Columbia Texas Title 18 Section 2241-2244 18 U.S.C. 2241-2244 Public Law 96-247 Public Law 99-646