UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 8-1-2014 PPrriissoonn,, PPeerrcceeppttiioonnss,, aanndd PPoolliiccyy:: AAuutthhoorriittaarriiaanniissmm aanndd AAttttiittuuddeess ttoowwaarrdd SSeexxuuaall AAssssaauulltt VViiccttiimmss iinn UU..SS.. CCoorrrreeccttiioonnaall FFaacciilliittiieess Amy Michelle Magnus University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Criminology Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons RReeppoossiittoorryy CCiittaattiioonn Magnus, Amy Michelle, "Prison, Perceptions, and Policy: Authoritarianism and Attitudes toward Sexual Assault Victims in U.S. Correctional Facilities" (2014). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2192. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/6456422 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PRISON, PERCEPTIONS, AND POLICY: AUTHORITARIANISM AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS IN U.S. CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES By Amy M. Magnus Bachelor of Arts in Psychology University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2012 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts – Criminal Justice Department of Criminal Justice Hank Greenspun College of Urban Affairs The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2014 Copyright by Amy Magnus, 2014 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Amy M. Magnus entitled Prison, Perceptions, and Policy: Authoritarianism and Attitudes toward Sexual Assault Victims in U.S. Correctional Facilities is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts - Criminal Justice Department of Criminal Justice Joel Lieberman, Ph.D., Committee Chair Emily Troshynski, Ph.D., Committee Member Terance Miethe, Ph.D., Committee Member David Beisecker, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the Graduate College August 2014 ii ABSTRACT Prison, Perceptions, and Policy: Authoritarianism and Attitudes Toward Sexual Assault Victims in U.S. Correctional Facilities by Amy M. Magnus Dr. Joel Lieberman, Examination Committee Chair Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice University of Nevada, Las Vegas Existing research on sexual victimization in correctional facilities has expanded since the enactment of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003. Previous literature suggests that the prevalence of sexual victimization in prisons is unknown, yet the known ramifications of reported sexual assaults are serious for both the individuals involved and the institution. Government policies such as the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 attempt to address the issue of sexual violence in U.S. correctional facilities. Limitations of PREA, however, derive from a lack of clear distinction between coerced and consensual behavior and how these ideas manifest and co-exist in different facilities. Further, sexual and gender identities of inmates, age, and other cultural factors influence the usefulness and consistency of PREA. This paper will describe the unique cultural aspects of prison life for both adult men and women and how sexual victimization affects inmates on a social and psychological level. This paper will further address the personality factor of authoritarianism and its influence on perceptions of sexually victimized men and women in prison and in other settings. Finally, this thesis will discuss how PREA does not fully succeed in properly addressing sexual violence in U.S. prisons. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee for their constant guidance and reassurance. I owe gratitude to Dr. Joel Lieberman, for I would not possess the passion that I do for research without your mentorship and the opportunities you have allotted me throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers. I am incredibly thankful for Dr. Terry Miethe’s passion, humor, and love for teaching – without it, my experience while writing this thesis would have been impossible. I owe so much to Dr. Emily Troshynski, as her mentorship, strength, and passion for academia are some of the many reasons I have decided to continue my graduate studies. Dave – I thank you for being part of this process and teaching me how to think, write, and articulate myself throughout my time in the UNLV Philosophy Department. I admire all of you and hope to someday be as great of a scholar as the four of you. Dr. Alexis Kennedy and Dr. Randall Shelden deserve my utmost respect and gratitude. You have inspired me to find my own path in academia and to always defend my thoughts, positions, and beliefs. Your passion for students and research inspires me to keep moving forward. You have taught me so much about the leader and professor I would like to be in the future, and I cannot thank you enough for that. To Tanesha, Katie, Andrea, and Cathy – this project would not have been possible without you, so thank you. Because of your support, I now have a completed project that I am proud of, and I am forever grateful. I could not have accomplished this feat without the support of my family, colleagues, and close friends. The individuals who have stayed by my side, through thick and thin, are well aware of the impact they have had on my graduate school experience iv and life as a whole. I am stronger because of your love and friendship, and I could not have made it through this process without you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................1 Prevalence of Sexual Victimization in Prisons ..............................................1 Defining Sexual Assault in Prison .................................................................2 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 ..............................................4 Authoritarianism ............................................................................................6 Overview of Thesis Project ............................................................................8 CHAPTER 2: CRIMINOLOGICAL ETIOLOGY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN PRISONS ...................................................................................................................10 Attitudes Toward Incarceration in the United States .....................................10 Summary of Gender and Incarceration ..........................................................12 Men’s Prison Culture .....................................................................................14 Women’s Prison Culture ................................................................................17 CHAPTER 3: PERCEPTIONS OF VICTIMIZATION ............................................20 Perceptions of Sex Crime Victims .................................................................20 Defensive Attribution and Authoritarianism .................................................22 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................26 Participants and Design ..................................................................................26 Measures and Procedure ................................................................................26 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS ............................................................31 Sample Demographics ...................................................................................31 Scenario Detail Question ...............................................................................31 Manipulation Check Questions ......................................................................32 Main Effects and Significant Interactions ......................................................32 Participants’ Perception of Victim Responsibility .........................................33 Participants’ Perception of Expected Reporting Behavior ............................34 Perceived Seriousness of the Offense ............................................................36 Attribution of Formal Criminal Charge to the Offender ................................36 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION .....................................................................................39 Findings .........................................................................................................39 Limitations .....................................................................................................42 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................44 Critique of the Prison Rape Elimination Act .................................................44 vi 1) Assumption of Demographic Neutrality ....................................................45 2) PREA Training: Understanding Who is Protected and the Role of Staff Enforcement ...................................................................................................45 3) Federal Expectation and State Influence ...................................................46 4) Bureau of Justice Statistics Sampling and Data Collection .......................47 Future Research Directions ............................................................................48 Summary ........................................................................................................49 APPENDIX A: AUTHORITARIANISM (SOCIAL ISSUES) SURVEY ................53 APPENDIX B: JUST WORLD BELIEFS (JWB) SURVEY ....................................56 APPENDIX C: FINAL SURVEY .............................................................................58 APPENDIX D: DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ...........................................60 APPENDIX E: MAIN EFFECTS ..............................................................................63 REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................64 CURRICULUM VITA ..............................................................................................70 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Effects of Level of Authoritarianism and Authority Status of Offender on Attribution of Victim Responsibility ........................................................ 34 Table 2: Effects of Offense Setting and Victim’s Gender on Participants’ Expectation of Reporting Behavior ................................................................................... 35 Table 3: Effects of level of Authoritarianism and Setting of Offense on Attribution of a Formal Charge to the Offender ................................................................... 37 Table 4: Effects of Victim’s Gender and Setting of Offense on Attribution of a Formal Charge to the Offender .................................................................................. 38 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