| Synopsis: |
No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons, charges that state authorities are responsible for widespread prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse in U.S. men's prisons. It draws on more than three years of research and is the first national survey of prisoner-on-prisoner rape. There are some two million inmates in U.S. prisons and jails. "Rape is in no way an inevitable consequence of incarceration," said Joanne Mariner, deputy director of the Americas division of Human Rights Watch, and author of the report. "But it is a predictable one if prison and prosecutorial authorities do little to prevent and punish it." Human Rights Watch warned that by failing to implement reasonable measures to prevent and punish rape - and, indeed, in many cases, taking actions that make sexual victimization likely - state authorities permit this physically and psychologically devastating abuse to occur. The group's findings are based on correspondence with more than 200 prisoners spread among thirty-four states, inmate interviews, and a comprehensive survey of state correctional authorities.Certain prisoners are targeted for sexual exploitation the moment they enter a penal facility: their age, looks, sexual preference, and other characteristics mark them as candidates for abuse. Human Rights Watch's research revealed a broad range of factors that correlate with increased vulnerability to rape. 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, unaggressive, shy, intellectual, not street-smart, or "passive"; or having been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor. * why and how prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse occurs; * who commits it and who falls victim to it; * prison rape's long-term effects, both physical and psychological; * how are prison authorities coping with it; and * what reforms must be instituted to better prevent rape from occurring. "Prison rape is part of the mythology of prison life. But in reality, it is devastating human rights abuse that can and should be prevented," said Mariner.The report includes extensive recommendations to federal and state authorities, urging them to step up their efforts to address this gross violation of human dignity. |