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| Department targets sexual abuse of inmates |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/15/2004 |
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The Ohio prisons department announced a plan last Monday to try to eliminate sexual abuse among inmates and sexual contact between prisoners and staff. The plan includes staff training, inmate education and victim support, said Reginald Wilkinson, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The department developed the plan after Congress last year passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which requires states to track and develop plans to curtail sexual abuse in prison, Wilkinson said. The department also heard testimony in the Legislature about sexual abuse in individual prisons, especially the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, he said. One reason for the plan is to document sexual assaults because the department does not keep track of reports of assaults or contact between inmates and employees, said Wilkinson, the department's director since 1991. "The only thing we see are these anecdotal reports that talk about allegations of assaults. There's no way to prove it until it's prosecuted or if it's prosecuted," Wilkinson said. Beginning last month, new employees received training on how to prevent inmate-on-inmate assaults, and current employees will receive the same training over the next two years, he said. A standard training program will make staff aware of what is prohibited behavior between prison employees and inmates, Wilkinson said. Any such sexual contact is treated as felony sexual assault, he said. Prison employees are specifically warned of the consequences of such conduct. The union that represents officers and other prison workers welcomes the plan if it will help to identify employees who break the law, said Peter Wray, spokesman for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association. Prison staffers also have been trained in victim support, largely unavailable before inside prison walls, Wilkinson said. The support team will provide support to an inmate-victim during investigations and mental health treatment is available, he said. A committee to study penalties for inmate and staff abuse will recommend changes in penalties and sanctions to Wilkinson by June, he said. |
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