60,000 inmates sexually abused every year

[babylonsister]

Now why would prison officials want to investigate these claims when the abuse is happening primarily by prison staff?


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PRISON_RAPE?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

60,000 inmates sexually abused every year


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal commission on prison rape has concluded that the risk of being attacked depends greatly on the type of prisoner, and where the inmate is locked up.

More than 60,000 inmates are sexually abused every year, according to a report being made public Tuesday by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The eight-member panel was formed under the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Based on a 2007 survey of tens of thousands of incarcerated people, 4.5 percent of those surveyed reported being sexually abused in the previous 12 months - and more prisoners claimed abuse by staff than by other inmates.

Among the key findings of the report aimed at reducing the amount of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse behind bars, the panel found:

- Who gets abused depends a great deal on where they are incarcerated. Ten facilities studied had high rates, between 9 percent and almost 16 percent, whereas six facilities reported no abuse at all for the past year. The commission said prison management must show leadership in stopping such abuse.

- Inmates in jails reported fewer instances of rape than in prisons.

- Inmates who were short, young, gay or female were more likely to be victimized than other inmates.

To fight the problem, the commission says prison authorities should adopt more internal monitoring and external oversight. They also say prison officials need to improve investigation of claims of sexual assault and rape, because currently many victims cannot safely and easily come forward.

After the prison rape report is sent to Congress, the attorney general is to create new national standards for detecting and preventing rape and sexual assault in prisons, jails and detention facilities.

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[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. What inmate is going to say anything about a guard raping them?

They need to make sure that the staff at prisons are responsible people, not deviants attracted by the power they can wield to get their way with inmates.

[swag]

2. This group has done the most to stop prison rape:

http://www.justdetention.org/

[AngryAmish]

3. There is a large and vocal pro-prison rape contingent around here

Why are they not piping up now?

[babylonsister]

6. On DU? That's gross. Anyone condoning rape of any kind

must have a few screws loose.

[billyoc]

4. Two percent, eh?

:rofl:

[lame54]

5. Saddam's rape rooms...

we've always had them right here

[YOY]

7. A lot of people here disliked that movie "Let's Go to Prison"...

They feel it makes light of prison rape. It really doesn't.

but it opens up with the main character saying some of the horrible stats on prisons in a semi-funny way. That the populations of AMerican prisons are the same as if everyone in Houston was a prisoner (folks walking down the street in Houston sprout orange jumpsuits and wave "Howdy!". That every year 3 football stadiums worth of people get raped in prison. He doesn't make it funny that belittles rape IMHO. He says with disgust "CAn you imagine that? 3 football stadiums filled with people raping each other."

That's a horrendous fact.

[Captain Hilts]

8. This issue, and incarceration FAR from where you and your kin live needs to be addressed. nt

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Sen. Jim Webb from VA to his GREAT credit, is making prison reform

his signature issue. I so applaud him. Our prisons are filled with many low level drug offenders and way too many poor and minorities who weren't able to purchase the better justice available to the more well-heeled. The prisons themselves have been sold off to private contractors who use the inmates as almost slave labor in order to make profits. There is the rape and the degradation that abounds. Kudos to Jim Webb for taking one one of the most needed, ignored, overlooked HUMANITARIAN ISSUES that exists right in our back yard. The International Red Cross should take a gander at the American prison system.