Report: 60,000 inmates in U.S. prisons sexually abused every year

Many prisoners sent to fulfill their sentences reportedly endure more than a loss of freedom. A report revealed today shows about 60,000 inmates a year are victims of sexual assault and the abuser is often prison staff.

Just over a week ago, a news report unveiled the horrible reality of abuse found in the United States prison system as a female inmate received a judgment of $1.3 million (USD) in her favour. In addition to the award, the inmate settled with the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) for an additional quarter of a million dollars. The reason? Sexual assault. Court records revealed that the woman was incarcerated for burglary and other charges. A 38-year-old prison guard, Leshawn Terrell, pressured the woman into trading sex for "protection" and for five months, the victim was expected to provide Terrell with sexually gratifying exchanges for what he should have already been providing to all inmates; safety. When the woman, whose name was withheld as a victim of sexual assault, eventually refused to give him what he wanted, he beat and raped her, leaving her in the bakery cooler. The victim suffered extreme pain and damage to her body, later requiring surgery. As the Denver Post explained:

"For nearly two years following the rape, (she) suffered pain and bleeding when she defecated," Ebel wrote in his decision, handed down Wednesday. "She repeatedly attempted to get help. . . . Rather than doing an examination, the (DOC) medical staff told (her) to use stool softeners, Milk of Magnesia, or hemorrhoid cream."

During this same time period, there were almost 200 reports of sexual abuse or misconduct against the Colorado DOC prison staff, including just over 60 cases where staff members were fired. United States Circuit Judge David Ebel condemned Terrell for what he called "horrific violence" and recognized the common problem in the state's prison system. Terrell made a plea agreement in exchange for admitting to guilt and his charges were reduced from a possible Class 4 Felony down to a Class 1 Misdemeanor. However, this problem is not a simple geographical issue. In a report released today by the congressionally formed National Prison Rape Elimination Committee, the number of inmates who are sexually assaulted every year is staggering. The report revealed that some prisons in the United States had over a one in five victim rate, with around 20 per cent admitting to having been pressured into sex at least once during their incarceration, with the majority of perpetrators being prison staff. In an AP news report today:

Based on a 2007 survey of tens of thousands of incarcerated people, 4.5 percent of those surveyed reported being sexually abused in the previous 12 months — and more prisoners claimed abuse by staff than by other inmates.

However, the abuse rates were not consistent across the board, with certain facilities having a higher instance of sexual assault than others, concluding that a problem among prison management contributes to the problem. Issues with low staff to prisoner ratios, overcrowding, lack of funds and retaliatory abuse against those who come forward served to exacerbate the unnecessary and horrible abuse. Also in the report, a lower instance of sexual assault in jails as opposed to prisons and a greater rate of abuse against targeted groups such as gays, the young, short or female inmates. Sexual assault and abuse in the prison system is not new, with an older report back in the late 60s showing around 3 per cent of Philadelphia's prisoners being the victim, most of the reports being completed rapes. Based upon the recent report made by the eight-person committee, it is expected that prison standards and regulations will be changed to address the horrific problem.