Prison rape

Prison rape is, in its most general sense, a rape where at least one participant is in detention. The typical case is a male inmate raping another male inmate in prison, but there are also cases with crew or visitors as perpetrators or victims, or rape occurring in other kinds of detention, such as jails, juvenile detention, or POW camps.

According to some statistics from the United States, the estimated number of prison rapes outnumbers number of rapes outside prison. The situation in Texas is notably worse than in other states: prisoners suffer sexual abuse from other inmates and sometimes staff, complaints are ignored or lead to retribution, and Governor Rick Perry refused to take appropriate action.

There are many myths about prison rape, including the widely held (but not well informed) belief that it is an example of homosexuality. In fact, prison rape has very little to do with sexual desire at all, and is all about using violence and humiliation for purposes of power and cruelty. In the typical case of anal penetration, the invading party usually regards himself as a heterosexual, while the receiving part is called names such as "bitch" or "punk". Gay men are actually more likely than most demographics to be raped while incarcerated.

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch continue to address concerns about prison rape.