Retired-6
03-20-2003, 05:19 PM
Wolf Co-Sponsors Bill to Reduce Prison Rape
By Dan Reany
The Winchester Star
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A conservative estimate states that one in 10 male prisoners in the United States gets raped.
Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-10th, wants it to stop.
Wolf and Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, coauthored the Prison Rape Reduction Act. Wolf and others testified in support of the legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The bill calls for prisons to set strict standards about dealing with rape.
“It would force prison systems — federal, state, and local — to address this issue and deal with it,” Wolf said in a telephone interview.
Wolf hopes the legislation will “go a long way in addressing a problem that has too long been quietly swept under the rug,” he said during his testimony.
Addressing prison rape is an issue of “compassion, and the broad base of support it (the Prison Rape Reduction Act) has shows that it transcends one’s political affiliation and ideology. Society is finally coming to grips with this vile act,” Wolf said.
Among the many groups supporting the legislation are The Salvation Army, the American Psychological Association, the NAACP, the National Network for Youth, the National Mental Health Association, Prison Fellowship, Camp Fire USA, and Focus on the Family.
Outcomes of prison rape include raping others “in a demented attempt to regain what they think of as their ‘lost manhood,’” murder of the rapist with added years to the rape victim’s sentence, and suicide, Wolf said.
“No matter where the survivor ends up, severe psychosis is the most common outcome of prisoner rape,” he added. “Researchers have found that suicide is the leading cause of death behind bars. Sexual harassment is the leading cause of prisoner suicide.”
In a letter written for “No Escape,” a report published by Human Rights Watch, a Florida inmate wrote: “I was young and yes I was weak. My weight was only 120 pounds, the first few months I was raped and beat up many times, I would always fight back, I wanted my attackers to know that I was not a willing subject for their evilness. I went to the guards for help and was told there was nothing that could be done, that I would have to stand up like a man and take care of my own troubles.”
Deliberate indifference to prison rape violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, Wolf said.
He added that stopping prison rape isn’t just a matter of protecting inmates, but also a matter of protecting society.
“All major studies show that prison rape costs the taxpayer in recidivism and increased violent crime. Inmates — often nonviolent, first-time offenders — will come out of a prison rape experience severely traumatized and will often leave prison more violent than when they entered.”
By Dan Reany
The Winchester Star
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A conservative estimate states that one in 10 male prisoners in the United States gets raped.
Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-10th, wants it to stop.
Wolf and Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, coauthored the Prison Rape Reduction Act. Wolf and others testified in support of the legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The bill calls for prisons to set strict standards about dealing with rape.
“It would force prison systems — federal, state, and local — to address this issue and deal with it,” Wolf said in a telephone interview.
Wolf hopes the legislation will “go a long way in addressing a problem that has too long been quietly swept under the rug,” he said during his testimony.
Addressing prison rape is an issue of “compassion, and the broad base of support it (the Prison Rape Reduction Act) has shows that it transcends one’s political affiliation and ideology. Society is finally coming to grips with this vile act,” Wolf said.
Among the many groups supporting the legislation are The Salvation Army, the American Psychological Association, the NAACP, the National Network for Youth, the National Mental Health Association, Prison Fellowship, Camp Fire USA, and Focus on the Family.
Outcomes of prison rape include raping others “in a demented attempt to regain what they think of as their ‘lost manhood,’” murder of the rapist with added years to the rape victim’s sentence, and suicide, Wolf said.
“No matter where the survivor ends up, severe psychosis is the most common outcome of prisoner rape,” he added. “Researchers have found that suicide is the leading cause of death behind bars. Sexual harassment is the leading cause of prisoner suicide.”
In a letter written for “No Escape,” a report published by Human Rights Watch, a Florida inmate wrote: “I was young and yes I was weak. My weight was only 120 pounds, the first few months I was raped and beat up many times, I would always fight back, I wanted my attackers to know that I was not a willing subject for their evilness. I went to the guards for help and was told there was nothing that could be done, that I would have to stand up like a man and take care of my own troubles.”
Deliberate indifference to prison rape violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, Wolf said.
He added that stopping prison rape isn’t just a matter of protecting inmates, but also a matter of protecting society.
“All major studies show that prison rape costs the taxpayer in recidivism and increased violent crime. Inmates — often nonviolent, first-time offenders — will come out of a prison rape experience severely traumatized and will often leave prison more violent than when they entered.”