Rape in American Prisons. Human Rights Watch Report...

[Joanne98]

I've been sentenced for a D.U.I. offense. My 3rd one. When I first came to prison, I had no idea what to expect. Certainly none of this. I'm a tall white male, who unfortunately has a small amount of feminine characteristics. And very shy. These characteristics have got me raped so many times I have no more feelings physically. I have been raped by up to 5 black men and two white men at a time. I've had knifes at my head and throat. I had fought and been beat so hard that I didn't ever think I'd see straight again. One time when I refused to enter a cell, I was brutally attacked by staff and taken to segragation though I had only wanted to prevent the same and worse by not locking up with my cell mate. There is no supervision after lockdown. I was given a conduct report. I explained to the hearing officer what the issue was. He told me that off the record, He suggests I find a man I would/could willingly have sex with to prevent these things from happening. I've requested protective custody only to be denied. It is not available here. He also said there was no where to run to, and it would be best for me to accept things . . . . I probably have AIDS now. I have great difficulty raising food to my mouth from shaking after nightmares or thinking to hard on all this . . . . I've laid down without physical fight to be sodomized. To prevent so much damage in struggles, ripping and tearing. Though in not fighting, it caused my heart and spirit to be raped as well. Something I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for. (1)

The letter excerpted above was one of the first to reach Human Rights Watch in response to a small announcement posted in Prison Legal News and Prison Life Magazine, two publications with a wide audience in U.S. prisons. Having been alerted to the problem of prisoner-on-prisoner rape in the United States by the work of activists like Stephen Donaldson of the organization Stop Prisoner Rape, we had decided to conduct exploratory research into the topic and had put a call out to prisoners for information. The resulting deluge of letters--many of which included compelling firsthand descriptions such as this--convinced us that the issue merited urgent attention. Rape, by prisoners' accounts, was no aberrational occurrence; instead it was a deeply-rooted, systemic problem. It was also a problem that prison authorities were doing little to address.

The present report--the product of three years of research and well over a thousand inmate letters--describes the complex dynamics of male prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse in the United States. The report is an effort to explain why and how such abuse occurs, who commits it and who falls victim to it, what are its effects, both physical and psychological, how are prison authorities coping with it and, most importantly, what reforms can be instituted to better prevent it from occurring.

The Scope of this Report http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/prison/report.html#_1_2

[Phredicles]

1. I always thought this pervasive prison rape was a human rights issue;

I'm glad to see someone take notice. This doesn't serve the public saftey or common good in any conceivable way.

[Joanne98]

3. Let the world see how America treats it's own people...

[brentblack]

40. Check the rest of the world's prisons...

...this is NOT just an American problem. Prisons all over the world experience this problem. I have a friend that made the mistake of having pot on him when he was stopped in Kingston, Jamaica. He spent three weeks in a Jamaican jail and was beaten and raped repeatedly.

The stories that come out of Eastern European and SE Asian prisons (the Chinese gov. sanctioned the practice, among other tortures, to punish dissidents) would make John Wayne Gacy's (if he were not burning in Hell as I type) blood curdle.


I am certainly NOT justifying this problem...but let's not start getting silly and calling this some sort of US only problem. This, much like racism, is a world-wide problem.


The problem in this country is an over-reaching drug war. There are tens of thousands of people who deserve to be locked up or worse - sadly we spend billions locking up kids that want to smoke pot.

/off to fill the bong...

[Nutmegger]

2. Prison rape is very real and falls on deaf ears because it's so-called "revenge".

I don't hold such a warped view. If you posses such a view, you are enabling prison rape by perpetuating the "just desserts" meme. Prison raped ought to be taken seriously out of respect for human rights.

Human rights for all. Not reserved for those who don't commit certain offenses.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

[ThomCat]

5. You're right. People laugh and joke about it. Even here at DU.

There are people who don't take rape seriously when it happens out here, and think it's wonderful when it happens in there.
x(

Every time I hear "pound them in the ass Prison" I cringe.

With all the billions of dollars we've spent on expanding the prison system, and all the new prisons that have been built, you'd think some of that money could go into researching safe prisons.

Of course, one of the best things we could do is stop locking up so damned many people.

[Matariki]

42. Not only laugh - but wish it upon people or think it's somehow deseved

it's very disturbing.

[etherealtruth]

4. Rape is NEVER acceptable ...

NEVER funny (sorry the prison rape jokes make this mans horrific experiences worse).

How can we allow a system to exist that tolerates this type of behavior?

It goes on because WE tolerate it.

[ThomCat]

6. Never!

It's never funny. It's never acceptable. It's never justified.
x(

[Joanne98]

7. Did anyone watch 60 minutes last night?

If you did you probably saw the story of the 21 year old, who was put in solitary for four days without food or water. He died of dehydration. The demonic monsters at the prison even videotaped it. Here's a tribute to him put up by his family. His mother is sueing. I hopes she gets the fuckers heads on a platter.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5321230899433294714&q=Timothy+Joe+Souders&hl=en

[Solly Mack]

17. I saw that. Prisoners dying of malnutrition and dehydration

Chaining him, the 21 year old, to a cot for 48 out of 72 hours.

[Joanne98]

22. It was murder!

[Solly Mack]

23. His mom said she didn't think they "intended" to hurt her son

but they did anyway.

But I'd call it homocide

[Joanne98]

26. I think she was being sarcastic...

[Joanne98]

8. kick

[Missy M]

9. I can't understand how this happens in prison....

in my mind the guards and prison authorities could prevent this from happening and just don't care. I don't believe prisoners should have to suffer abuse, they are already being punished by being in prison. I hate when I hear people say they get too many privileges and live a country club style. That is so ridiculous and far from the truth. Maybe if we treated them with with some decency we would all be better off.

[Joanne98]

11. It's a sign of our country's hard hearts...

If this is the way we treat our own people, you can imagine what we're doing to the others. I shudder to think.

[manic expression]

18. The prison guards can be just as bad

if not worse.

[Missy M]

21. I sometimes believe they only hire sadistic people....

for prison guards, they must have a test that can determine if you have sadistic tendencies.

[meldroc]

25. The guards actually encourage rape.

Rape's a punishment for misbehaving inmates. IIRC, one of the stories was about an inmate who filed a complaint against the wrong CO, so in retaliation, he got transferred to a cell with the Booty Bandit.

[Solly Mack]

10. Thanks for posting.

A *justice* system that turns its back on what goes on in prison is a justice system that isn't about justice at all.

[Joanne98]

13. Your welcome Solly Mack with four hearts...

:)

[William Bloode]

12. Prison rape is truly for real.

They never cared about us prisoners. What they did to us, and what we did to each other was ok. Don't complain, or try to take any action. All you get is more abuse.

Back in the day when i did my time, a small group of inmates and myself tried to make a case against a racist c.o.. We filed, we got whipped. We filed on the beating, got beat some more. In the end the lawsuits filed for the beatings bore fruit. Changed the way a few things were done at the time.

Many people forget that prison is full of human beings who will one day have to re-enter society. Instead the caged animal scenario is what most people perceive.

There are some good decent honest (yes honest) folks in prison. Many are there for simple mistakes, and lapse of judgment. Many are there because of desperation, or unfair laws, many are in fact innocent but took a plea because thats all their court appointed counsel could/would get them.

It's sick how we treat our own.

[Joanne98]

15. Thankyou for that....

It's time to put a stop to this shit...

[Digit]

14. Rape is NEVER to be tolerated

I cannot imagine how traumatizing it must be.

[Joanne98]

16. kick

[Jonathan50]

19. We are not civilized any more.... if we ever were to start with

The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881),

[Horse with no Name]

20. I know someone who works in a prison

and when they see men like this, they advise them to hook up with one of the Hispanic gangs because they seem to be better protectors of their members.
It is just sick.

[Joanne98]

24. We need more whistleblowers..

Prison guards should videotape and put on youtube. I know it's dangerous but it's the only thing that will stop this. They will be considered heroes by most people in this country..

[Horse with no Name]

27. I actually asked her why there weren't cameras in the hallways

and she said it was because it infringed on the prisoners rights.
They were pretty much allowed to do WHATEVER they want inside their cells.

[manic expression]

28. Prison guards couldn't care less

some of them probably enjoy it.

I would be less surprised if George Bush himself put videos on youtube.

[Marnieworld]

29. I mentioned this the other day here

It was in response to a post about jokes about rape. I really hate the prison rape jokes and how it implies that we all just accept it as part of the punishment. No one has a problem thinking about it when the latest molester gets locked up but what about the non-violent drug offenders and DUI people? Should daily brutality be part of the American system?

[Joanne98]

30. Thanx for posting on the subject...

It needs more discussion.

[Joanne98]

31. kick

[LynnTheDem]

32. Prison rape? Enough about Saddam already!

Sheeesh.

Oh wait...

[Joanne98]

39. Even Saddam wasn't this evil!

[upi402]

33. who would tacitly support the continuation of this?

no good, and these men get out eventually too. no good at all.

[Megahurtz]

34. Horrible, Horrible, Horrible!

:cry:

[Nutmegger]

35. I'm kicking this...

I've seen many vile comments here passively encouraging prison rape. At times, I feel alone in my anti-prison rape opinion.

Where are they? They know prison rape is wrong and can't be justified. That's why they don't show up and defend their position.

[AngryAmish]

41. It seems most of DU is cool with rape

As long as it is prison rape. How many times did people say (and I'm paraphrasing) that they could wait to see fat Karl Rove in a cell with his prison daddy? Or the Ag in California saying the same thing about the Enron guy?

Sadly, rape is a top humor candidate around here.

[Trillo]

36. K&R! n/t

[fishwax]

37. k/r

[Joanne98]

38. First-Ever Prisoner Rape Survivor Summit : Tommorrow in LA!

First-Ever Prisoner Rape Survivor Summit

Los Angeles:
First-Ever Prisoner Rape Survivor Summit

LOS ANGELES, February 13, 2007 – Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR), a national
human rights organization dedicated to ending sexual violence in
detention, is proud to host the first-ever Prisoner Rape Survivor
Summit, in Los Angeles on February 16-17, 2007. Former inmates from
across the country, all of whom endured devastating abuse while
incarcerated, will gather to share their stories and to develop a
unique
set of policy recommendations for the prevention of this type of
violence.

“These brave men and women define what it means to be a survivor,” said
Lovisa Stannow, Co-Executive Director of SPR. “They have suffered
unspeakable pain, but instead of being silenced by their trauma they
are
transforming themselves into advocates, speaking out in the hope of
protecting others.”

Since the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in 2003,
SPR
has worked hard to ensure that survivors of rape behind bars are able
to
contribute to the meaningful implementation of the law. At the Survivor
Summit, participants will develop detailed recommendations for ending
prisoner rape, which will be submitted directly to the National Prison
Rape Elimination Commission. The Commission is currently drafting
national standards for addressing sexual violence in detention and has
assured SPR that the survivor recommendations will be taken into
account
in that process.

“The only way I can imagine turning what happened to me into something
positive is to make America’s prisons safer,” said Garrett Cunningham,
who was raped by a corrections official in a Texas state prison. “As
survivors, we know first-hand about the horrors of prisoner rape. We
have perspectives and insights that no psychologist, academic or
government official can provide.”

In addition to developing policy recommendations, Survivor Summit
participants will have the opportunity to hone their public speaking
and
advocacy skills. Through group sessions led by mental health experts,
participants will also get to tell their stories, hear about the
experiences of fellow survivors, and explore as a group the challenges
and opportunities they have identified in their efforts to heal.

###

For more information about the Survivor Summit, or to speak with a
summit participant, please contact Amber Durfield at 213.384.1400 x 102
or [e-mail].

[Joanne98]

43. kick