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| New Prison Rape Standards Offer Landmark Protection |
| By hrw.org |
| Published: 05/18/2012 |
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(New York) – The long awaited national prison rape elimination standards issued on May 17, 2012 by the Justice Department, if fully implemented, may end widespread prison rape in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. The standards provide detailed guidance to federal, state, and local officials on how to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in their confinement facilities. Congress mandated the development of national standards in the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), passed unanimously in 2003. The law called for the creation of a National Prison Rape Elimination Commission to prepare an analysis of the causes and consequences of prison rape and to propose national standards to the attorney general, which it did in June 2009. The standards released on May 17 draw heavily on the commission’s work and reflect Congress’ goal of protecting every man, woman, and child in confinement with an effective, zero-tolerance policy toward sexual abuse. “The prison rape standards offer a practical, feasible roadmap for officials on how to end the epidemic of prison rape,” said Jamie Fellner, senior adviser to the US Program of Human Rights Watch and a former commissioner on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. “They may not be perfect, but they are far better than might have been expected given the staunch opposition in some correctional quarters to changing the way they do business. The Justice Department leaves no doubt that the old ways do not and cannot suffice.” The standards are immediately binding on Justice Department facilities, such as those operated by the Bureau of Prisons. A presidential memorandum also issued on May 17 clarifies that other federal agencies operating confinement facilities are also bound by PREA and directs those agencies to work with the attorney general to determine what is necessary to comply. This requirement is most noteworthy with regard to Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which confines immigration detainees. Read More. |
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