2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Laura King

Abstract

Incarcerated individuals have a high risk of developing a mental illness and experiencing sexual victimization due to a variety of individual and system risk factors. There is extensive research on the prevalence of mental illness and sexual victimization among the incarcerated population, but research on mental health and victim-support services offered during incarceration is limited. This review examines the prevalence of mental illness and sexual victimization among the incarcerated population, the relationship between mental illness and sexual victimization, and the mental health and victim-support services provided during incarceration. Overall, findings indicate that 66.1% of individuals in prisons and 44.3% of individuals in jails have been diagnosed with a mental illness (e.g., mood disorder, PTSD). The reported rate of sexual victimization is 4.1% in prisons and 4.0% in jails, though the underreporting of sexual victimization is important to consider. Research suggests that a cyclical relationship between mental illness and sexual victimization in the carceral environment exists and that housing strategies and crisis counseling are the most common interventions provided to this population. These findings highlight the need for additional research on the availability and effectiveness of mental health and victim-support services provided during incarceration.

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