At long last, yesterday the Department of Justice launched its 60-day public comment period on proposed national standards addressing sexual abuse in detention. In an extensive report, the Department also released, for the first time, its own estimate of the number of inmates who endured sexual abuse while behind bars in a one-year period: 216,600.
According to a study released today by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), even in substantiated cases of staff sexually abusing inmates, only half of the abusive officials were subject to any legal action. Indeed, 15 percent of confirmed staff abusers were allowed to keep their jobs. Such high levels of impunity are shocking considering
National Standards Represent Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Attorney General Eric Holder to End Sexual Abuse in U.S. Corrections Facilities Washington, DC, March 29, 2011. Next Monday (April 4, 2011) marks the end of the final public comment period on the Department of Justice’s proposed national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in detention.
Review Panel on Prison Rape to hold hearings with best and worst performing prisons, highlighting that sexual abuse in detention is preventable — a matter of good management Washington, DC, April 26, 2011. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, at least 216,600 inmates were sexually abused in prisons, jails, and youth detention facilities in
Washington, DC, September 14, 2011. Beginning tomorrow, the Review Panel on Prison Rape, convened by the U.S. Department of Justice, will collect evidence from officials at five county jails, survivors of sexual abuse in detention, and experts on jail conditions. These hearings, mandated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, are a vital tool for highlighting best