A Colorado women's prison has the highest rate of inmates who report having been sexually assaulted by a staff member in the nation, according to a study released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
The report, "Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates 2011-12," indicates that more than one out of every 10 inmates at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility claim that staff members have sexually assaulted them. The study found that 10.7 percent of 160 respondents at the facility reported sexual assault by staff, and of those 7.3 percent claimed that physical force or the threat of physical force was involved in the assault.
The Colorado state prison was identified along with 12 others across the country for having "high rates" of sexual misconduct by staff.
As a comparison, only 2.4 percent of inmates of the 583 prisons and jails that were involved in the national survey claimed to have been sexually abused by staff members.
The survey differentiates between "willing" sexual activity with staff and sexual assault, and reports that while "willing" sexual contact with staff declined, sexual assault remained relatively stable.