In 2007, over 60,500 inmates reported sexual abuse by other inmates or prison staff. Given the shame of self-identifying as a rape victim, threats from abusers for reporting the incident, and unreliable reporting mechanisms, the number of prison rape victims may be far greater. Often young, slight inmates are targeted for abuse, indicating particular danger for juveniles sentenced as adults. An inmate may be sexually abused by a stronger cellmate or gang-raped when placed with prisoners of a different race. Often, prisons do not have enough staff to prevent such activity. Staff members sometimes even encourage or engage in sexual violence themselves.
...yet rape is never part of a just sentence.
Prison rape must be neither ignored nor taken lightly. The grave, physical consequences of HIV/AIDS, which prison rape spreads, follow victims and perpetrators alike when they eventually leave prison, thus threatening the health of our communities. The emotional and psychological consequences of rape harm ex-offenders' chances for successful reentry. Egregious or repeated incidences of sexual violence may even provoke suicide. Rape and assault are never part of a just sentence, but tens of thousands of people in America experience such cruelty every year with no redress of grievances. The public's distrust and disregard of prisoners makes prosecuting such abuse extremely difficult.
Justice Fellowship advocates zero tolerance for prison rape.
Justice Fellowship calls for the elimination of all prison rape. To accomplish this, Justice Fellowship lobbied for the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, which requires the United States Department of Justice to report incidents of prison rape, cite the worst prisons, and establish a clearinghouse for complaints. Justice Fellowship director Pat Nolan serves on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, which is finalizing standards for ways to detect, prevent, and punish sexual violence in prisons, jails, and immigration detention facilities. Justice Fellowship also supports efforts to change the Prison Litigation Reform Act to ensure inmates are able to express justified grievances. Additionally, corrections officials should implement the recommendations of the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons to confront prison conditions that are recipes for sexual abuse. These reforms can create prison cultures that protect human rights and keep our communities safer.
