Sexual Violence Procedures in Canadian Correctional Facilities

Abstract

Sexual violence is an unspoken aspect of life for inmates in Canadian prisons. Statistics Canada figures suggest that roughly 1 sexual assault occurs for every 1100 federally incarcerated persons, but the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s (2020) report maintains that official statistics underestimate the extent of sexual violence in prisons. Presently, only the federal incarceration system and 1 out of 13 provincial / territorial systems have publicly available sexual violence policies. More accurate data and victim sensitive treatment would be fostered by a nationally standardized sexual violence procedure. This procedure should be informed by a responsive approach to treatment that prioritizes the needs of survivors over those of the criminal justice system. To help produce this resource, I conducted a systematic literature review of: (1) sexual assault survivors’ needs, and (2) sexual assault in Canadian correctional facilities, with an emphasis on content related to prevalence, prevention, disclosure, victim treatment, and safety protocols. Based on themes from these bodies of literature (e.g., victims’ needs for medical and psychological care, establishing mandatory staff reporting), I developed a codebook to guide a review of existing sexual assault procedures in Canadian correctional facilities. In combination, the literature review and content analysis provide the foundations for a nationally standardized procedure.