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Washington, D.C., March 29, 2011 – Today a diverse collective of groups who normally stand in stringent opposition to one another stood united to condemn the Department of Justice’s proposed prison rape standards. The DOJ’s recommendations which essentially are significantly watered down compared with those of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC).
Groups on hand at the National Press Club included the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, Church of Scientology, Heartland Institute, National Association of Evangelicals, Open Society Policy Center, Just Detention International (JDI), and the United Methodist Church. Also present was Keith DeBlasio, a former inmate who was raped during incarceration at a federal prison. DeBlasio shared how that assault not only propelled him to make a spiritual transformation, but to use his freedom to advocate for inmates who have no voice.
DeBlasio, who contracted the HIV from his attacker, said there is a desperate need for rules that will not reduce, but eradicate rape in jails and prisons across the country.
“I was assaulted by a known predator a couple of months into a five-year sentence. He was HIV positive, and it was only by a miracle that I learned he infected me with the HIV virus. The Attorney General should be admonished to exactly what the Senate did in 2001. They felt so strongly about the issue, that they changed the Prison Rape Reduction Act to the Prison Rape Elimination Act — that’s pretty strong. The Attorney General should do the same,” DeBlasio said.
| Click here to read a statement on prison rape by Galen Carey, Director of Governmental Affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals. |
Rape is never part of a just sentence, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that on average 600 adult and juvenile inmates are sexually assaulted in US prisons every day. The Department of Justice has announced plans that will significantly weaken the standards to hold prison officials accountable for eliminating rape in their prisons.
Representatives from the wide spectrum of groups, agree that DOJ’s recommended standards are unacceptable and urged the public to write the Attorney General about the watered down standards.
Pat Nolan, vice president of Prison Fellowship and a member of the NPREC, said, “It’s scandalous that there are over 216,000 inmates sexually assaulted each year in America’s prisons. We need prison officials to provide leadership and the DOJ to provide tough standards holding officials accountable for putting a stop to the rapes.”
This event was truly a left-right coalition, with groups from various ideologies raising their voices in unison to help protect the inmates who have no voice in this process.
The deadline to submit open comments to Attorney General Holder ends on April 4, 2011. You can send a FaxGram to AG Holder’s desk by going here.
Please send your comments to Attorney General Holder by the April 4, 2011 deadline.
Prison Rape Standards Timeline
- June 23, 2009: The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission submits its report with standards and recommendations to the President of the United States, Congress and Attorney General Eric Holder.
- June 23, 2010: The Attorney General is required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) to complete his review and enact standards for the elimination of prison rape by this date. Federal prisons were to immediately comply. States would be allowed one additional year to implement the standards or risk losing federal funds. The Attorney General fails to meet the deadline as required by law.
- August 17, 2010: 54 days past statutory deadline for Attorney General to adopt standards. DOJ expects to take at least another year to adopt standards. A Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) study found that over 60,000 inmates were sexually assaulted during the year prior to the survey. Right/Left Coalition led by Prison Fellowship speaks out against the delay in adopting the standards as issued by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.
- January 24, 2011: The Attorney General announces plans to significantly weaken the standards as proposed by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission that will hold prison officials accountable for eliminating rape in their prisons.
- March 23, 2011: National Prison Rape Elimination Commission speaks out against the weakened standards and urges the public to write the Attorney General to strengthen his proposed standards.
- April 4, 2011: End of public comment period on the current proposed standards.
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