Congress Issues a Wake-Up Call on Inmate Rape

Lawmakers in both parties yesterday denounced the rape of hundreds of thousands of inmates in US jails and prisons as a national disgrace and a massive abuse of human rights. The victims include pretrial detainees and immigration detainees as well as convicted criminals, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) told the Senate Judiciary Committee. He cited both the "devastating" effects on victims and the "serious consequences for communities," including the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. He said prison officials often fail to take obvious steps to protect inmates.

Kennedy and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) are sponsoring the Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2002. In the House of Representatives, the legislation is sponsored by Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) The act would direct the DOJ to conduct an annual statistical analysis of the frequency and effects of prison rape. It would establish a panel to conduct hearings on systems, prisons and jails where the incidence of rape is high. And it would direct the attorney general to provide information and training for state and local prison authorities on preventing, investigating and punishing rape. The act has broad support in both parties and is backed by a coalition of religious and human rights organizations.

Two million people are held in US prisons and jails. Although there are no definitive data, studies have shown that 10 percent to 22 percent of men and a similar percentage of women are raped each year.

Wendy Patten, US advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, called the situation "a devastating human rights abuse that is widespread." Mental health counselor Robert Dumond told the committee that many prison rape victims experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and were at risk of committing suicide.

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