Being sent to prison, knowing that for a period of time that one will have
to live behind bars, is traumatic in and of itself. If that wasn't
bad enough, some inmates suffer further humiliation by being sexually
assaulted at the hands of fellow inmates and prison guards.
At times, such indignity is not adequately addressed or is ignored by prison
officials, leaving an inmate to be a victim of further
sexual assaults and rapes. In one instance, an inmate-victim's complaints were ignored,
leaving him only one option to escape the assaults perpetrated upon him
- attacking another inmate so that he would be sent to solitary confinement.
Inmates who are victimized by fellow inmates and guards are left with emotional
and physical scars, some of which will never heal. Suffering sexual violence
often leaves the victim-inmate with:
- Physical injury
- Psychological trauma
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including the incurable illnesses
of HIV/AIDS
Sexual Violence Is Widespread
A report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) estimates that approximately
88,500 inmates - 4.4 percent of prison inmates and 3.1 percent of jail
inmates - were the victims of sexual violence in the past year. Of the
inmates that reported assaults, 13 percent of male prison inmates and
19 percent of male jail inmates reported that they were sexually assaulted
within the first 24 hours of incarceration.
The BJS report also identified two California prisons - Pleasant Valley
in Coalinga and the California Medical Facility - as having inmate-on-inmate
sexual assault rates among the highest in the country. Both have sexual
assault rates that are roughly double the national average.
New Laws to Protect Inmates
To curb the scourge of sexual violence in prisons, the U.S. Congress passed
the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. The act emphasized a "zero-tolerance
standard" for rape, mandating that prison systems throughout the
country will make the prevention of rape "a top priority."
Further emphasizing the need for inmate protection and safety, the state
of California passed the Sexual Abuse in Detention Elimination Act in
2005. This act stated that the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation will work to proactively prevent acts of sexual violence
and to respond to reports of sexual abuse when they occur.
California has begun implementing new procedures at two prisons in an attempt
to lower the rates of inmate-on-inmate sexual violence. As part of the
new safety measures:
- Inmates receive information about their rights
- Training is provided to staff
- Victims of sexual abuse receive counseling
Sexual abuse is abhorrent in all forms regardless of where and to whom
it occurs. Just because one commits a crime does not forgive acts of sexual
violence perpetrated against them.