Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., March 31, 2014 — In a move that puts the safety of thousands of people at risk, Texas Governor Rick Perry has announced that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) will not comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards. Governor Perry’s decision, stated in a letter sent
Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., May 20, 2014 — Texas Governor Rick Perry has almost certainly failed in his effort, announced in March of this year, to foster a nationwide rejection of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Just days after Attorney General Eric Holder’s May 15 deadline, JDI is confident that the vast majority
Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., June 11, 2015 — For the second consecutive year, the vast majority of state governors have affirmatively reported on their commitment to implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards. An updated list of states’ submissions — posted online Tuesday by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), an arm of
Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., June 29, 2015 — Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) publicly released new guidance on protecting transgender detainees, in response to demands by Just Detention International and its partners. JDI urged the agency to fulfill its obligation to protect this population from sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Multiple
Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., July 15, 2015 —Yesterday, in a speech before the NAACP in Philadelphia, President Barack Obama spoke out forcefully about the need to reform the U.S. justice system. In particular, President Obama decried sexual abuse in detention — as well as pop culture’s tendency to treat such abuse as a punch