A fifth pain of imprisonment involves the loss of security. Inmates often suffer from psychological, economic, social, and physical victimization during the terms of their confinement. Research on sexual victimization in prisons dispels the notion that rape is the most common type of sexual activity that takes place in the correctional environment. Scholars who have examined the frequency of sexual assault in prison generally conclude that this type of victimization is a rare event. Instead, many inmates report being the victims of sexual aggression in the form of threats, insults, propositions, fondling, and physical attacks.
Many authorities suggest that conditions in many prisons have deteriorated in recent decades.
Prison populations have increased dramatically since the 1970s. The demographic composition of prisoners has changed, the proportion of minorities in prison has increased, and there has been an escalation in inmate gang activity. Judicial intervention has, in many cases, contributed to a loss of control by correctional staff. The demise of the rehabilitative ideal has resulted in the reduction or elimination of various inmate programs. If anything, correctional practices have become even more punitive in recent years.