Research and analysis

Sexual assaults reported in prisons: exploratory findings

The number of sexual assaults reported in prison saw a notable increase between 2012 and 2014, from 113 incidents in 2012, to 170 incidents in 2013, and 228 in 2014.

• From: Ministry of Justice
• Published: 6 September 2018

Documents

Sexual assaults reported in prisons: exploratory findings from analysis of incident descriptions

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Details

This analytical summary presents exploratory findings on the nature of alleged sexual assaults reported in prisons in England and Wales. It is based on analysis of narrative descriptions of 1,742 incidents which were reported between 2002 and 2014 and recorded by prison staff via the Prison National Offender Management Information System (p-NOMIS). Recorded incidents were based on the initial report made and classified as sexual in nature. The findings should be treated with caution given that the data were collected as management information and not for research purposes, and have the potential to include unsubstantiated allegations as well as allegations that were subsequently found to be false1.

Published 6 September 2018