National Prison Rape Elimination Commission - Report and Recommendations

Report and Recommendations

In late June 2009 NPREC released its mandated report. The report cited data that showed each year in the U.S. detention facilities (jails, prisons, et al.) 60,000 inmates are sexually abused. The report noted that too often prison rape is seen as a joke rather than the problem it represents. NPREC Commissioner Brenda V. Smith stated that sexual abuse in prison or jail is not a random event that can only "happen to other bad people", she added that the commission heard harrowing tales from victims, some of whom spent only one night in custody.

The report set out a series of recommendations aimed at curbing the number of rapes in U.S. incarceration facilities. Among the recommendations were better staff training in recognizing assaults, addressing overcrowding, and providing proper mental health care and medical care for victims. In addition NPREC recommended that harsher penalties exist for staff who engage in assault or contribute to a permissive atmosphere.

There were other findings presented in the report as well. NPREC found that inmates who are short, gay, young, or female were victims of sexual assault more often than other groups of inmates. The NPREC report also showed that inmate reports of sexual violence are not always taken seriously by staff and, thus, not always reported to the proper authorities.

The report's finding that 2.9 percent of inmates reported sexual abuse by staff versus 2.0 percent of inmates who reported rape by other prisoners was called surprising by commission chair Reggie Walton. Walton was specifically surprised by the incidence of male staff on male inmate sexual assault.

Following its release, the report was sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder has one year to develop national standards, based on NPREC's report, for reducing prisoner rape. The national standards will then be presented to the states. States are not required to comply with the standards but those that do not risk a five percent federal prison funding decrease.