The Official Rape is Never Justified, Inc. Tumblr!

Prison rape is a form of torture. Much like any other form of rape (whether it’s an acquaintance, a significant other, a family member, etc.). Victims of prison rape are often physically beaten with severe physical wounds and scars, contradicting STD’s or HIV. They’re most often assaulted by the corrections staff. Corrections staff selects victims who are most vulnerable, they’ve previously been sexually assaulted, or members of the GBLT community. 

Victims of prison rape are at a higher risk (than victims of sexual assault outside of prison or those who are non-sexual assault victims) for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug addiction, hepatitis C, and/or HIV/STD’s. Because of the increasing number of rape victims who’re involved in the prison system, there’s renewed counseling resources, STD and HIV testing and treatment options, availability of condoms, and other prevention materials available for prisoners. 

In September 2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act was established that focuses on victims of prison rape specifically. The PREA provides a series of facts that create the reason for it’s implementation. Over 2,100,000 people are incarcerated every year. And of that 2 million, 200,000 become victims (about 6,000 less than the number outside of prison) — so about 9% of prisoners are assaulted every year; and of those 200,000, nearly 25,000 (12.5%) are infected with HIV/AIDs. 16% of inmates in state prisons or jails and 7% of Federal inmates either enter or leave the prison system with a mental illness, which increases in prevalence or severity after a sexual assault. 

First time juvenile offenders (typical those between 12 and 16) are at an increased risk of sexual assault, regardless of the type of prison they’re incarcerated in. However, when they’re placed in an adult facility (as opposed to a juvenile center), they are five times more likely to be assaulted, and most frequently, they’re sexually assaulted in the first 48 hours of incarceration. About 600,000 prisoners are released every year from prison. About 1/3 of those individuals are sexually assaulted and are more likely to re-commit crimes when released or become involved in drugs, which places them back in the prison system and the cycle of abuse continues. 

The purpose of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (2003) is to: 

1. establish a zero-tolerance policy for prison rape, 
2. make prevention of prison rape a top priority, 
3. develop and implement detection, prevention, reduction, and punishments for prison rape, 
4. increase availability of information on the incidence of prison rape to prisoners, 
5. increase the accountability of corrections officers to ensure there’s a detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment-action for prison rape, and 
6. to protect prisoners of their 8th Amendment Right (no cruel or unusual punishment) 

There are two links provided (one a source to the organization SPR and one to the PREA) if you have any additional questions or would like to help victims.

(Source: spr.org)