WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice released its first statistical report on prison rape and abuse Sunday, but acknowledged that much sexual violence in prisons was probably never reported.
In a report required by the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act, the Justice Department's statistical arm measured sexual violence reported to prison authorities last year.
The report said there were an estimated 8,210 incidents in the nation's prisons and jails, which hold about 2.1 million inmates. But the report warned that there was no reliable estimate of unreported sexual victimization.
The prison rape act also established a commission, which is to begin hearing testimony on the issue next month, and mandated better training for prison staff.
In state-operated juvenile facilities, allegations of staff sexual misconduct ran proportionately almost 10 times higher than for adult facilities.
