Americans reacted with horror to the reports that coalition soldiers had committed inhumane abuses, many of which were sexual in nature, against Iraqi detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison. The shock and anger that many experienced has begun to open the door to a consideration of the sexual abuse that flourishes in our own prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers.

"The graphic images have forced the public to confront what's happening," said Lara Stemple, SPR Executive Director. "For the first time, most people are actually thinking about sexual abuse suffered by prisoners and the implications it has for us as a nation."

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has called the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib "un-American." But reports have revealed that several of the contractors and military personnel setting up and working in the facility have a background in U.S. corrections, including one who was accused of participating in the abuse. And at least four former state prison officials hired as contactors have a checkered history of abuse that should have precluded their employment in Iraq.

As the media continues to grapple with the torture that occurred in Iraq, SPR will continue to provide information and commentary. We're drawing the connection to state-sanctioned sexual abuse and humiliation in the U.S. by pointing out examples close to home: an Arizona sheriff who forces male inmates to wear pink women's underwear, a Wisconsin corrections officer who impregnated mentally ill inmate Jackie Noyes, and corrections staff who taunted Roderick Johnson when he was raped and prostituted by Texas prison gangs.

SPR's message has appeared in print and on the airwaves around the country, helping to make it clear that, tragically, the sexual abuse and humiliation of inmates in Abu Ghraib was not an isolated anomaly.

Joan Baez and Steve Buscemi have recently joined Stop Prisoner Rape's Board of Advisors.

Joan Baez, the critically acclaimed folk artist, is known for her activism as much as for her music. In addition to several gold albums and music awards, Baez has garnered praise across the world for her humanitarian work, ranging from organizing desegregated concerts in the South during the 1960s to performing in war-torn Sarajevo during the 1990s. Baez follows in the footsteps of her sister Mimi Farina, who was a devoted supporter of SPR for a number of years.

Actor and director Steve Buscemi has starred in a number of independent films and played a recently released inmate in "The Sopranos" this season. Buscemi has been praised for his gripping depictions of life behind bars in directing episodes of the television series "Oz," and in his film "Animal Factory." Buscemi's broad body of work has dealt with many aspects of prison life, including sexual assault. He is also known for his charity work for organizations, including PETA and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The support given to SPR by Baez and Buscemi is an integral step in raising public awareness about rape behind bars. By joining the Board of Advisors, their affiliation with Stop Prisoner Rape continues in the same vein as much of their previous work: lending their voice to the voiceless.

The drive for comprehensive laws against custodial sexual misconduct took another step forward in late April as Alabama finally passed legislation banning sexual contact between inmates and correctional staff.

Alabama was one of only three states in the nation that did not have a law on its books prohibiting custodial sexual misconduct. With the passage of the new law, only Vermont and Oregon have yet to criminalize these types of encounters.

Rep. Barbara Boyd, who sponsored the Alabama bill and has worked on this issue for several years, said that, unlike in years past, there was little opposition to the measure in this legislative cycle.

"It was a matter of each year building on the mistakes and the successes of the year before, and it really shows that persistence and networking and collaboration . . . were the essential ingredients that led to us being so successful this year," Boyd said.

Sexual violence in prison isn't just a crime. It can also be a form of torture.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the international Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1988, and President Clinton ratified it in 1994. Under the definitions used in the treaty, prisoner rape can amount to a form of torture in situations such as:

. The sexual assault of inmates by staff;
. Inmate-on-inmate sexual assault that is intentionally "set up" by staff; and
. Assault that results from the failure of staff to implement basic rape prevention measures or from their indifference to obvious danger.

Corrections officers and administrators aren't the only professionals whose decisions can affect the safety of detention facilities - judges also have a role to play. When they allow juveniles to be sentenced to adult facilities, for example, or when they sentence nonviolent drug offenders to lengthy prison terms, they contribute to the risk that inmates will face sexual victimization.

With the support of a local donor, SPR launched the Judicial Awareness Project this spring, sending out fact sheets on sexual assault in detention and information about SPR's resources to nearly 300 state and federal judges in Southern California. SPR also sent information about prisoner rape as it affects juveniles in adult facilities to a group of attorneys and judges in the Washington D.C. area.

Depending on the feedback the project generates, SPR may expand the program to encourage judges across the nation to consider the risks inmates can face behind bars.

Susan Burton, David Kaiser, and T.J. Parsell are the newest members of SPR's Board of Directors. Susan Burton, a former prisoner and a survivor of sexual violence, is the founder and executive director of A New Way of Life, which provides basic living needs for homeless women in transition from prison or at risk for incarceration. David Kaiser is a writer living in New York who serves on the Boards of several nonprofit organizations and foundations.

T.J. Parsell, a prisoner rape survivor and a former software executive, has been very involved in SPR's work through the Board of Advisors and as a member of the Survivor Speakers Bureau. He has courageously told his story on Capitol Hill in support of the Prison Rape Elimination Act, testified at New York City Hall, and has written a memoir about his experiences as young man in prison.

Lamar Glover, a 2003 University of Virginia graduate, has joined the staff of SPR as the new Policy and Communications Fellow. While in Virginia, Glover was a part of an ex-felon voting rights campaign that helped inmates to regain suffrage after re-entering mainstream society.

Glover is the first to participate in SPR's new year-long paid fellowship program which aims to give young junior-level professionals experience in the nonprofit sector.

Stop Prisoner Rape has moved to a new office space to make room for its growing staff and volunteers. The new office contact information is:

3325 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 340
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 384-1400
Fax: (213) 384-1411