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| Human rights group says prison rapes widespread |
| By CNN |
| Published: 04/27/2001 |
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A human rights group report released recently blames corrections officials for the high number of rapes in men's prisons in the United States. 'Rape is in no way an inevitable consequence of incarceration,' said Joanne Mariner, deputy director of the Americas division of Human Rights Watch. 'But it is a predictable one if prison and prosecutorial authorities do little to prevent and punish it.' Mariner is author of the report, 'No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons.' A survey published in the Prison Journal showed that 21 percent of inmates in seven Midwestern prisons had experienced at least one episode of pressured or forced sex since being incarcerated, and at least 7 percent had been raped in their facility. An internal departmental survey of corrections officers in one Southern state found that line officers -- those charged with the direct supervision of inmates -- estimated that roughly one-fifth of prisoners were being coerced into participation in inmate-on-inmate sex. The report found that a broad range of factors contributed to a prisoner's vulnerability to be raped. These include youth, small size and physical weakness; being white, gay or a first offender; possessing 'feminine' characteristics such as long hair or a high voice; being unassertive, shy, intellectual, not street-smart, or 'passive'; or having been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor. The report concluded that prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse continues because 'correctional staff frequently ignore or even react hostilely to inmates' complaints of rape.' The group's findings are based on correspondence with more than 200 prisoners from 34 states, inmate interviews, and a comprehensive survey of state correctional authorities. The report includes extensive recommendations to federal and state authorities, urging them to step up their efforts to prevent prison rapes. |
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