LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2007 – The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, a bipartisan federal body established under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, will hold a public hearing in Austin, Texas, on March 26-27, 2007. The first part of the hearing will focus on sexual violence in police lock-ups and in Native
Los Angeles, May 16, 2007 – Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) and numerous other advocacy groups are urging the Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science to allocate $35 million in 2008 for the implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). “Many correctional systems have made progress in their efforts to stop prisoner rape,” said
LOS ANGELES, MAY 22, 2007 – The Texas legislature passed a bill yesterday addressing one of the state’s most neglected human rights violations – prisoner rape. Senate Bill 1175 (SB 1175) establishes critically-needed external oversight of Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities by creating a sexual assault ombudsperson. The ombudsperson is independent of the
LOS ANGELES, MAY 22, 2007 – The Texas legislature passed a bill yesterday addressing one of the state’s most neglected human rights violations – prisoner rape. Senate Bill 1175 (SB 1175) establishes critically-needed external oversight of Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities by creating a sexual assault ombudsperson. The ombudsperson is independent of the
Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed into law Chapter 335 of the Laws of 2007, amending New York’s custodial sexual misconduct law (at Penal Code Section 130.05) to expand the definition of “employee” to include volunteers and contractors who provide “direct services” to inmates. “This amendment is critically important,” said Lovisa Stannow, Stop Prisoner Rape’s Executive