http://www.spr.org/en/pressreleases/2003/0904.html September 4, 2003 SPR Hails Historic Move Toward Safer, More Humane Detention WASHINGTON D.C. – President George W. Bush signed into law the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 today, marking the first time the U.S. government has ever passed a law to deal with sexual assault behind bars. “The passage of this law is a major milestone, finally bringing prisoner rape out of the shadows,” said Lara Stemple, executive director of Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR), a national human rights organization that has worked on the issue for more than two decades. The law calls for the gathering of national statistics about the problem; the development of guidelines for states about how to address prisoner rape; the creation of a review panel to hold annual hearings; and the provision of grants to states to combat the problem. “We hope this bill will be the beginning of real reform,” Stemple said. “And, progress will also require improved mental health services for survivors, lawsuits aimed at reform, and greater sympathy on the part of the public.” The president signed the bill this morning at an Oval Office ceremony attended by two survivors of prisoner rape, Tom Cahill and Hope Hernandez. Cahill serves as president of the Board of Directors SPR, and Hope Hernandez is a member of the group’s Board of Advisors. “We know we’ve come a long way when survivors of prisoner rape are invited to the White House with dignity rather than marginalized and ignored,” Stemple said. In 1968, Cahill was beaten and gang-raped in San Antonio, Texas after being arrested for civil disobedience. Hernandez, also a nonviolent offender, was repeatedly raped by a corrections officer in 1997 in a privately run facility adjacent to the Washington D.C. jail. One in five men in prison has been sexually abused, often by other inmates. Rates for women, who are most likely to be abused by male staff, reach as high as one in four in some facilities.
Wow, I thought prison rape was *always* illegal. Geez. Well, kudos to Bush for signing this into law. Rape is rape. And I'm glad to see the issue addressed. It's another small way we're an example to the world.
Geez, doesn't this destroy the whole detrimental effect prison's supposed to have on crime? Now you can watch tv, get hot meals, enlighten yourself and build a fantastic physique all without having to worry about taking it somewhere really unfomfotable (like the back of a Volkswagon?).
I don't know. I can foresee a lot of prisoners claiming to be raped just to get out of time since they can't be watched by guards all the time. This would mean that more money would be spent by the correctional department to investigate these faulty claims. Since they are under-budgeted already, this couldn't the big picture.
making a law ought to stop those prisoners who are raping other prisoners, because if there's any group who ought to obey the law it's a bunch of guys in prision for not obeying the law
That's a positive step. People should be allowed to serve their time without fear of being gang raped and given an AIDS death sentence.
making a law ought to stop those prisoners who are raping other prisoners, because if there's any group who ought to obey the law it's a bunch of guys in prision for not obeying the law This law has nothing to do with making prison rape illegal (it already is). It involves establishing a research effort to look into ways of dealing with a problem that pretty much is ignored right now. Regardless of what you think about prisoners' rights, this is important because they people are going to be eventually back on the streets. If their minds get all messed up in prison, they become potential problems for general society when they are released.
Man, I've been to prison once, and I've always said I never want to go back. But now, I really never want to go back. Damn Bush went and took the whole fun out of it.
BTW - for all of you "straight and narrow" citizens, I haven't ever done anything that the majority of y'all didn't do, and yes - I went to prison. Not jail. Prison. But for a little "inside" info (pun), the majority of prisons aren't that bad. I never encountered a rape, although I did encounter a murder at Garza West. The way inside-the-prison punishment (in Texas at least) generally works outside of murder is you are dealt with by the parole board. You don't usually ever pick up another case, even if you beat the crap out of some guy with a can of Jack Mackerel stuffed inside a sock. You get "written up," placed in Administrative Segregation (solitaire) and have a flag put on your parole papers. This means the parole board won't take kindly when reviewing your case the next time you're up for parole. Well that's no big deal to someone doing time for an aggravated case, because you automatically have to serve at least 50% of your time before you're eligible for your first parole consideration. So if you're doing 15 years on an aggravated robbery, already predisposed to violence, and some dude pisses you off; you already know you're gonna do at least 8 so what the hell does an extra year matter? This bill is a major step in the treatment of prisoners as humans. Sometimes we, as a society, tend to forget that we are all one mistake away from being in these people's shoes.
irony, Yahoo Serious, irony and it's not just a research program. they have recommendations and guidelines for the states to use. Now, I haven't seen those, but I'm on safe ground here when I say they will involve some form of negative reinforcement commonly known as "prosecution."
Geez, what a waste of time, effort and money. Bush is an idiot. 1) This will never stop or reduce prison rape 2) If someone is found guilty, they will be sent... where? to prison? THEY'RE ALREADY IN PRISON! We've got about a bazillion other things that are more important for Bush to give his attention to. -- droxford
