FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2004
Contact:
Public Affairs, ODOC, (503) 945-0925
Benjamin de Haan, Ph.D., de Haan and Associates (503) 725-5165
Prison Survey Pinpoints Statistics on Relationship between
High-Risk Behaviors and Communicable Diseases
Link to:
In October 2003, the Oregon Department of Corrections commissioned a study to determine the prevalence of tattooing, body piercing, IV drug use and sexual activity within its prisons. This study, in part, was built on discussions with the Cascade Aids Project and others concerned about prisons and public health. The survey showed that high-risk behaviors are less prevalent in Oregon’s prisons than most national estimates.
“The safety of the public, our staff and inmates are of primary importance to us, and that includes public health,” said Corrections Director Max Williams. “We were uncertain of the degree to which high-risk behaviors are a problem in our prisons, so we decided to ask the question.
“We recognize the role prisons potentially have in the spread of contagious diseases,” he explained. “For instance, we know that diseases such as hepatitis and HIV are transmitted through shared needles and unprotected sex, so we needed to first determine the extent of the problem in our own state rather than relying on national statistics.”
Researchers working on behalf of the Oregon Department of Corrections conducted random-sample surveys of 236 men and 97 women at 11 state prisons. Inmates were asked about receiving and giving tattoos, receiving body piercing, IV drug use, and consensual and non-consensual sexual activity. With the exception of rape, these behaviors are voluntary.
Many people admitted to prison already have communicable diseases as a result of their high-risk behaviors in the community. “The Department of Corrections has effective strategies in place to control high-risk behaviors,” explained Don Grossnickle, the principal researcher. “Contrary to popular opinion, the incidence of these activities is considerably lower for people while incarcerated than during the period prior to incarceration.”
Most prisoners will eventually return to their communities. In Oregon, about half of the prison population will be released within 24 months, and approximately 95 percent will eventually be released. “If diseases are transmitted among prisoners through high-risk behaviors, it is logical that reducing these behaviors would help limit the spread of disease in prison and our communities upon release,” Director Williams said.
The study showed that the frequency of high-risk behaviors for male inmates is greatest for tattoos, followed by sexual activity, body piercing and IV drug use. For female inmates the most common high-risk behaviors, in order, include sexual activity, tattooing, body piercing and IV drug usage.
The survey asked inmates about their personal experiences and the experiences of others in their housing units. For surveys about personal experiences in the last year, the estimates are:
Males:
- Receiving a tattoo: 7.3 percent
- IV drug use: 2.5 percent
- Body piercing: 3.25 percent
- Sexual activity: 6.2 percent (an estimated 25 percent is non-consensual)
Females:
- Receiving a tattoo: 4.1 percent
- IV drug use: 1.1 percent
- Body piercing: 3.25 percent
- Sexual activity: 4.7 percent (nearly all is consensual)
New federal legislation, SB 1435, the “Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003,” estimates that 13 percent of inmates in U.S. prisons have been victims of sexual assault. In Oregon prisons, roughly six to eight rapes are reported each year; this is less than one-tenth of one percent of the inmate population. The Oregon survey estimates that five percent of inmates engaged in sexual activity during the last year; three-fourths of this is consensual and approximately one-fourth, or 1.6 percent (as many as 175), is assaults.
“This percentage is significantly lower than the national estimates,” said Director Williams, “but any rape is one rape too many.”
In response to the survey report, the Oregon Department of Corrections is taking decisive action to reduce high-risk inmate behaviors and eliminate prison rape, including:
- Working with Department of Human Services Public Health experts to review the survey report and make recommendations for changes in DOC policy and practice that both preserve prison security and help reduce the risks of transmitting diseases – including Hepatitis C and HIV – through voluntary acts such as tattooing, body piercing, IV drug use and consensual sex.
- Developing a comprehensive, unified policy regarding sexual assaults in Oregon’s prisons to reinforce a culture of zero tolerance for sexual assaults. This policy will encourage reporting of every assault that occurs by safeguarding the confidentiality and safety of inmates who make complaints. It will also define procedures to protect potential victims from assault. It will make victim access to medical and mental health care more confidential and as simple as possible, and will include acute and long-term care and STD/HIV testing and treatment.
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