boutons_deux
04-02-2014, 08:46 AM
Texas Governor Refuses To Comply With Rules To Curb Prison Rapes (http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/02/3421905/texas-governor-refuses-to-comply-with-rules-to-curb-prison-rapes/)
Five of the ten worst facilities in the United States for sexual assaults in prison are in Texas, according to a 2008 study by the Department of Justice. “In those five prisons, between 9 percent and 16 percent (http://www.dallasvoice.com/texas-prison-rape-capital-u-s-10105138.html) of all inmates report incidents of rape by fellow prisoners and prison staff,” according to the Dallas Voice. But Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) said last week that he doesn’t plan on complying (http://www.tdcjunion.com/research/rick_perry_letter.pdf) with new federal standards to curb these assaults.
The standards set by the Department of Justice (http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/05/2579021/years-laws-passage-doj-takes-baby-steps-address-prison-sexual-assault/) come more than a decade after federal legislation was passed to address an epidemic of sexual assaults behind bars, particularly among teens and LGBT individuals. They impose basic requirements, such as separating teens from adults, eliminating cross-gender pat-downs in teen and juvenile units, and allotting a certain number of staff to juvenile facilities.
Perry said in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (http://www.tdcjunion.com/research/rick_perry_letter.pdf) last week that these requirements are not feasible for Texas, particularly because the state — unlike the federal government — considers 17 and 18-year-old inmates adults. Perry said it too costly to separate those individuals from other adult prisoners. He also said the cost of adding the required number of staff to some facilities would be “unacceptable” in some jurisdictions.
Just Detention International, an organization focused on sexual abuse “in all forms of detention,” said Perry’s response “ignores the overwhelming evidence of a human rights crisis in Texas prisons.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/02/3421905/texas-governor-refuses-to-comply-with-rules-to-curb-prison-rapes/
TPR radio said this morning that TX prisons are understaffed by several 1000.
Five of the ten worst facilities in the United States for sexual assaults in prison are in Texas, according to a 2008 study by the Department of Justice. “In those five prisons, between 9 percent and 16 percent (http://www.dallasvoice.com/texas-prison-rape-capital-u-s-10105138.html) of all inmates report incidents of rape by fellow prisoners and prison staff,” according to the Dallas Voice. But Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) said last week that he doesn’t plan on complying (http://www.tdcjunion.com/research/rick_perry_letter.pdf) with new federal standards to curb these assaults.
The standards set by the Department of Justice (http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/05/2579021/years-laws-passage-doj-takes-baby-steps-address-prison-sexual-assault/) come more than a decade after federal legislation was passed to address an epidemic of sexual assaults behind bars, particularly among teens and LGBT individuals. They impose basic requirements, such as separating teens from adults, eliminating cross-gender pat-downs in teen and juvenile units, and allotting a certain number of staff to juvenile facilities.
Perry said in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (http://www.tdcjunion.com/research/rick_perry_letter.pdf) last week that these requirements are not feasible for Texas, particularly because the state — unlike the federal government — considers 17 and 18-year-old inmates adults. Perry said it too costly to separate those individuals from other adult prisoners. He also said the cost of adding the required number of staff to some facilities would be “unacceptable” in some jurisdictions.
Just Detention International, an organization focused on sexual abuse “in all forms of detention,” said Perry’s response “ignores the overwhelming evidence of a human rights crisis in Texas prisons.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/02/3421905/texas-governor-refuses-to-comply-with-rules-to-curb-prison-rapes/
TPR radio said this morning that TX prisons are understaffed by several 1000.