Category: Press Releases

Government Report: Sexual Abuse Still Rampant in Juvenile Corrections Facilities

A report by the Department of Justice shows widespread sexual violence in juvenile detention facilities, exposing pervasive staff sexual misconduct. Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and Illinois top the list of abusive systems. Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., June 6, 2013. According to a new U.S. Department of Justice report, juvenile detention facilities remain plagued by

Prisoner Rape is Illegal — Magistrate Badenhorst Must Be Held Accountable

Johannesburg, July 23, 2013. Sonke Gender Justice and Just Detention International condemn Magistrate Herman Badenhorst’s statement: “In prison, you can rape prisoners if you feel like it — at least you won’t be around little children.” According to an IOL news report on Monday 15 July, the magistrate uttered these words while sentencing Neo Molaudzi

Sonke and JDI Have Filed a Complaint for Misconduct Against Magistrate Herman Badenhorst

UPDATE:  Press Statement from Just Detention International and Sonke Gender Justice Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) and Just Detention International (JDI) have a filed a complaint against Magistrate Herman Badenhorst to the Gauteng Regional Court President Modibede Djaje. This follows the organisations’ review of the official transcript of Magistrate Badenhorst’s sentencing, on the 15 July 2013

The Landmark Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Turns Ten

Advocates, prisoner rape survivors, and political leaders celebrate PREA as a human rights milestone Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., September 4, 2013 – Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), the first federal civil law to address sexual abuse in detention. PREA has sparked a dramatic culture change within U.S. prisons and

Press Statement by Sonke Gender Justice and Just Detention International on the Department of Correctional Services and Judicial Inspectorate’s Annual Reports 2012/2013

October 3, 2013. Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) and Just Detention International (JDI) have made a submission to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services regarding the Department of Correctional Services (JICS) and Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Service’s (JIC) 2012/2013 Annual Reports. It is estimated that 35% of inmates are HIV positive — a prevalence that