Is Reporting Prison Rape the Same as Snitching? A Test of the Deprivation and Importation Models

Few studies have been dedicated to the topics of prison rape and snitching. The purpose of this study is to determine if a link exists between exposure to prison and attitudes toward the reporting of prison rape by inmates. The research focuses on the specific question, Is reporting rape considered snitching? Data from a previous study entitled Ethno-Methodological Study of the Subculture of Prison Inmate Sexuality in the United States, 2004-2005 was used. The sample includes 409 male inmates who were sampled using classical probability sampling. Data were gathered through personal interviews with the inmates. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that the longer an inmate served in prison on his current conviction, the more likely he was to consider reporting rape to be snitching. Also, if an inmate was Black, he was less likely to consider reporting rape to be snitching. Although few significant results were found, this study will serve as a stepping stone for future research to explore the issue of unreported rapes in U.S. prisons