What is your opinion of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003

[politicus]

Last year the official guidelines for the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 were implemented.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/12/07/1300511/obama-executive-order-officially-implements-prison-rape-elimination-act/?mobile=nc

What do you think about PREA and the new guidelines? Is it going to change anything?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Rape_Elimination_Act_of_2003

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

If the implementation was only signed into effect recently, how can we know?  Though it's a step in the right direction.

[tpfkaw]

Option 3, obviously.

[Supersonic]

A step in the right direction. Though I'm not sure what else can be done.

Whoever voted option one has something wrong with them..

[Goldwater]

A step in the right direction. Though I'm not sure what else can be done.

Whoever voted option one has something wrong with them..

[Maxwell]

I accept all damage points or whatever they are for this post.

[politicus]

A step in the right direction. Though I'm not sure what else can be done.

Whoever voted option one has something wrong with them..

Yeah, I have heard option 1 expressed before, but I am surprised it is getting 30% of the votes. Unless its trolling.

I think the problem is that the things that would really change something are costly and with the huge American prison population the cost of doing something efficient will be higher than is politically acceptable.

Besides a lower level of violence in general (which I think is the most decisive factor) there are three things that characterises countries without prison rape:

- Having 1 person per cell, giving inmates a save haven.
- Guards getting better training and being paid more, so you can recruit better people.
- More staff per inmate.

Even with more money the second criteria would be difficult to meet in the US. Many American prisons are so tough you likely cant get many (non-sadistic) people with other options to work there, even with a lot better pay.

[Indy Texas]

I'm surprised we haven't heard some foot-in-mouth Republican manage to be against this.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

A step in the right direction. Though I'm not sure what else can be done.

Whoever voted option one has something wrong with them..

Yeah, I have heard option 1 expressed before, but I am surprised it is getting 30% of the votes. Unless its trolling.

Of course it's trolling.  You gave an idiotic option as not only a choice, but as the first choice.  I'm only surprised more people aren't trolling this poll.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I'm surprised we haven't heard some foot-in-mouth Republican manage to be against this.

Why would they be opposed to it?  If someone in the GOP was going to have foot-in-mouth over this law it would be to proclaim its a great law because it'll cut down on homosexuals recruiting more people for their side.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Since rape is illegal and immoral on the outside (for obvious reasons), it of course should also be illegal in a prison type environment. That being said, nothing can stop it, and I can't say that I would not feel too bad if I learned the thugs from the Dunbar Village gang rape that occurred here in my country a few years ago were raped in prison.

If an inmate rapes another inmate, I would just tack another ten years to his sentence or something of that nature. I also liked Politicus's suggestion that prisoners should be allotted their own cell.

[Lief 🗽]

I assume the prevalence of prison rape is a uniquely American condition, right? Have there been any studies done as to the reasons for this?

[dead0man]

I assume the prevalence of prison rape is a uniquely American condition, right?

Why would you think that?


as for the poll, I went with "Other".   Isn't rape illegal already?  Were the prisons/courts not punishing people for it before?  Seems like we already had laws on the books for this kind of thing and we were just not using them.  I like the idea of adding 10 years to those convicted of prison rape.  20 for a second offense.  If you're already in for life, maybe threaten them with DP....you can pick which DP you get.

[Frodo]

I assume the prevalence of prison rape is a uniquely American condition, right? Have there been any studies done as to the reasons for this?

You can start with a couple of studies, one from the Justice Department, and another from Human Rights Watch.

[rejectamenta]

Option 2. Americans are culturally violent and flawed on a large scale, I am convinced, and will seek to defend these ruinous practices forever by insisting nothing can ever be done about overcrowded prisons and the mafioso mindset of our police and correctional officers.

[minionofmidas]

I can't talk with any degree of certainty about actual rates of incidence, but widespread homosexual prison rape as a topos is an American thing and a Russian thing. (Heterosexual prison and police custody rape, by jailers, used to be a similarly established topos regarding womens' prisons here, once upon a time. Nonsexual physical abuse of people doing time for sexual offences is very much a fact of life of prison in Germany, otoh.)

[minionofmidas]

I can't talk with any degree of certainty about actual rates of incidence, but widespread homosexual prison rape as a topos is an American thing and a Russian thing. (Heterosexual prison and police custody rape, by jailers, used to be a similarly established topos regarding womens' prisons here, once upon a time. Nonsexual physical abuse of people doing time for sexual offences is very much a fact of life of prison in Germany, otoh.)

[Antonio the Sixth]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Jesus. F**king. Christ.

[politicus]

A step in the right direction. Though I'm not sure what else can be done.

Whoever voted option one has something wrong with them..

Yeah, I have heard option 1 expressed before, but I am surprised it is getting 30% of the votes. Unless its trolling.

Of course it's trolling.  You gave an idiotic option as not only a choice, but as the first choice.  I'm only surprised more people aren't trolling this poll.

This "idiotic option" is a believe that is unfortunately held by a great deal of people IRL, so I felt it necessary to include it for consistency. I didn't expect so many to troll on such a serious and sensitive issue.

[opebo]

I can't say that I would not feel too bad if I learned the thugs from the Dunbar Village gang rape that occurred here in my country a few years ago were raped in prison.

Surely you realize that it is not the rapists who are more likely to be raped in prison than anyone else?  While a very large percentage of any group are raped, the highest indicators for rape are 1) small size/weakness, 2) Caucasian race, 3) youth. 

[politicus]

I assume the prevalence of prison rape is a uniquely American condition, right? Have there been any studies done as to the reasons for this?

Apart from US and Russia I know it exists in some Southern African countries (with, unsurprisingly, very high numbers in South Africa) and Latin American countries (incl. Mexico). In Asia the Philippines and India have big problems. I think that the idea that dominant males can suppress weaker, effeminate or inferior males by sodomizing them exists in all macho cultures.
But the US is the only Western or First World country with widespread homosexual prison rape. Britain also has some cases, but there are a large number of countries where its unheard of, mostly Western and East Asian countries with less machismo, more resources and better screening and training of prison staff.

Generally its a very underreported crime so reliable stats are often non-existent.
The NGO Just Detention has some factsheets.
http://www.justdetention.org/en/fact_sheets.aspx

[perdedor]

Judging by what I read in that Wikipedia article; this act condemns prison rape, sets up a commission tasked with being serious about prison rape, and makes the DOJ promise they'll make preventing prison rape a "top priority"...right. This sounds like a beard for something buried in it the text of the bill.

As an aside, I don't consider prison rape to be part of the punishment. That's just depraved.

[politicus]

I can't say that I would not feel too bad if I learned the thugs from the Dunbar Village gang rape that occurred here in my country a few years ago were raped in prison.

Surely you realize that it is not the rapists who are more likely to be raped in prison than anyone else?  While a very large percentage of any group are raped, the highest indicators for rape are 1) small size/weakness, 2) Caucasian race, 3) youth.  

While the racially segregated pattern of US prison rape - with either rape occuring inside a race group or minorities against whites - makes being White a risk factor (they are generally the only ones that risk rape from inmates of all races), being LGTB is the biggest risk factor with higher number for minorities than whites, 30% of Black transsexual inmates are raped.

[minionofmidas]

I can't say that I would not feel too bad if I learned the thugs from the Dunbar Village gang rape that occurred here in my country a few years ago were raped in prison.

Surely you realize that it is not the rapists who are more likely to be raped in prison than anyone else?  While a very large percentage of any group are raped, the highest indicators for rape are 1) small size/weakness, 2) Caucasian race, 3) youth. 

You got the order wrong. And forgot a few very important factors: A pretty face and lack of in-prison connections.

[opebo]

While the racially segregated pattern of US prison rape - with either rape occuring inside a race group or minorities against whites - makes being White a risk factor (they are generally the only ones that risk rape from inmates of all races), being LGTB is the biggest risk factor with higher number for minorities than whites, 30% of Black transsexual inmates are raped.

I find that figure unbelievably small.  I would have assumed well over 30% of whites were raped in prison, and virtually 100% of transsexuals of any race.

While a very large percentage of any group are raped, the highest indicators for rape are 1) small size/weakness, 2) Caucasian race, 3) youth. 

You got the order wrong.

So you think its all about being white? Or youthful?