Why are some prisons cauldrons of anger and violence when others are relatively peaceful? What are the promising practices that provide a safe and secure environment for inmates, staff and volunteers? What are the hallmarks of the leadership of the safer prisons? How can we hold the leaders of unsafe and violent prisons accountable for the climate that exists under their authority? These are the questions being considered by two national commissions on which I serve, the Prison Rape Elimination Commission and the Commission of Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons.
Inmates in the custody of our prisons have no ability to defend themselves. They are forbidden from having weapons, they cannot choose their neighbors, nor can they leave their area if they feel threatened. Having stripped them of all means of protecting themselves, prison authorities have a responsibility to ensure that they are not subject to predators. No matter what the crime an inmate has committed, their sentence does NOT include being raped, beaten or extorted.
Survivors of prison rape and violence gave heart-rending testimonies at separate hearings held by both commissions. These courageous men and women stripped away the façade of bland statistics and put human faces and voices to the suffering endured in our prisons. They also told of the continuing impact that has resulted from their abuse long after their release. Their stories can be found at the websites of the Prison Safety Commission and Just Detention International.
Some of these inmates were subjected to repeated rapes by fellow inmates; others were raped by the very guards that were supposed to be protecting them. The commissions will delve into what broke down, and try to learn what works best to keep prisons safe and orderly from leaders of the many institutions that do not tolerate violence between inmates.
The Prison Rape Elimination Commission was established by an act of Congress, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). It calls on the states and the federal government to address this serious problem and holds them accountable if they fail to do so. The bill established the commission to set standards to reduce and eliminate prison rape. The Commission will hold hearings around the country prior to releasing its report and issuing standards. To assist the Commission in its work, PREA requires the Department of Justice to report on the prevalence of prison rape and cite the prison systems that have the severest problems. It will also establish a clearinghouse for complaints. The legislation will be a great help to prison administrators who want to stop the rape and violence occurring in their facilities.
The Prison Rape Elimination Commission recently held hearings at the University of Notre Dame and at the U.S. Capitol. Senators Ted Kennedy and Jeff Sessions and Representative Scott, testified about the importance of eliminating rape from our prisons and their commitment to support the work of the Commission. Glenn Fine, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice discussed his recent report on staff sexual abuse of inmates. The commission also heard from medical and mental health experts on the impact of rape in prison.
The next meeting of the Prison Rape Elimination Commission will in San Francisco. It will focus on institutions that have successfully combated prison rape. The Commission will soon have a website at which you will be able to access transcripts of testimony at the hearings. Just Detention International has video clips of CNN’s coverage of the Washington hearing.
The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons will look beyond prison rape at other factors contributing to the culture of violence inside some prisons, including degradation, severe overcrowding, inhumane treatment for the mentally-ill, and insufficient support for the men and women who staff facilities. Over the course of a year, the Commission will hold four public hearings. The first was held in Tampa, Florida. We heard from corrections officials and inmates about their experiences dealing with violence in prison. The next hearing will be held in Newark, New Jerseyon July 19 and 20. It will focus on the systemic and institutional causes of abuse and lack of safety. Following these hearings, the Commission will produce a report including practical recommendations that local, state, and federal policy makers can use to make prisons safer places.
The commissions give us hope that conditions will improve for I wrote about such a change in “Bearing Fruit in Angola” in which I describe the transformation of Angola Prison in Louisiana, once the most dangerous prison in the United States. Under the leadership of Warden Burl Cain, it has become the most peaceful. Cain has recruited a Baptist Seminary to train an army of inmate pastors to minister to the lifers at Angola and a New Orleans culinary school to teach the inmate chefs to create haute cuisine for the inmates. Cain is just one example of the many corrections professionals who refuse to accept the “culture of violence” in prisons. The commissions will highlight to success of such leaders in transforming prison culture and the promising practices their institutions have undertaken.
We all have a stake in the work of these commissions as they seek answers as to how to ensure safe environments in our prisons. With over 600,000 prisoners being released each year, the level of violence inmates experienced inside prison will play a large part in determining the type of neighbors they will be after their release. In order to survive inside a violent prison, inmates develop “skills” that make them anti-social when they are released. On the other hand, inmates doing their time in the many prisons that are peaceful can use their time to prepare themselves to live healthy, productive law-abiding lives.
In His service,
Pat Nolan
President, Justice Fellowship
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