7.13.2006

Sexual Crime in Prison

These are probably not a good idea to read before bed. LinkFilter had a link to Stop Prisoner Rape's Survivor Stories and I found that its hard to stop reading them once you've started. They are real, they are personal and some of them are really difficult to get through because of the graphic stories. Some prisoners said that the act of writing it out actually helped them feel a little better about themselves in the wake of often brutal and often serial sexual assaults in dark corners of our prison system.

They are not safe for work and you might just be better off not reading them at all if you think you might not want to know. But they are worth reading, its worth gaining the perspective of the imprisoned through their words to see how helpless and oftentimes hopeless their situation may seem. It is a truly scary glimpse into a world that I hope to never experience firsthand. Nor would I wish it on anyone else.

From the site...
SPR seeks to end sexual violence committed against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention.

"The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly those who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, border on the unimaginable. Prison rape not only threatens the lives of those who fall prey to their aggressors, but it is potentially devastating to the human spirit. Shame, depression, and a shattering loss of self-esteem accompany the perpetual terror the victim thereafter must endure."
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Farmer v. Brennan

Commit a crime and do your time, that's fine but should you really have to be worried about getting fucked in the mouth and ass by some lifer pricks with nothing to lose? Who was it that said the way to judge a society is by how they treat their criminals? Or was it old people? Either way, we treat them both like shit, old people get neglected and beaten and criminals get raped and stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes over some stupid pride or ego issue.

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