What Can Male Prison Victim-Perpetrator Tell Us About the Transition from Victim to Perpetrator? Write a Critical Analysis in terms of Sexual Assault in Prisons?

Abstract

Prisons are established as a correctional institution in order to further the reformative stance adopted by modern governments, and while the idea is practical on paper, the reality is starkly different. The fact of the matter is that sexual assault is common in prisons, especially in male prisons. Owing to the prevalence of rape and other forms of sexual assault in prisons, victims of such crimes often end up being the perpetrators of the crime itself in the future. This transition establishes a cycle in which character reform is not possible, and on the other hand, has the potential of doing more harm to the criminal instead of improving upon their condition. By the way of a preliminary literature review, it was determined that the repression of emotions owing to shame surrounding the incident of rape and the drive to survive in the hostile environment of the prison account for the transition from a victim to a perpetrator. 

Research Aims

The aim of the proposed study is to specifically ascertain the psychological reasoning behind the transition of an individual from a victim to a perpetrator suffering from homosexual rape in a hostile environment within the confines of Australian prisons. The relevance behind highlighting this transition is to bring shed light on an issue which is scarcely discussed and lent consideration in society and law, and measure how common these instances are. The study shall be done via secondary sources and primary interviews to make it achievable within a course of 5 weeks.

Questions 

1. What is the psychological cause for a male prison rape victim to become a perpetrator of the same crime?
2. How can the prison redressal system be altered to make them more inclusive for such victims?

Introduction

The question regarding the origin point of crime has bothered social scientists since time immemorial, and many different reasons for the same have been cited, including, but, not limited to disadvantageous circumstances, mental condition, et al (Wikström & Treiber, 2016; Stuart, 2003). While the general social environment is a key reason behind crime, it is often noticed that victims of crime themselves resort to crime, instead of shying away from the same (Feyter, 2005). The objective of this study is to thus, study the psychological reasoning as to why does a victim of a crime alter his stance completely to become the assaulter himself by going through first person accounts corroborated with empirical data. Furthermore, the study shall objectively strive to highlight the underbelly of prison environment by depicting instances of male rape in the Australian criminal justice system so as to enable reform in this regard.

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