Our Mission

A national 501(c)(3) human rights organization, SPR works to put an end to sexual violence against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention. To achieve this goal, SPR seeks to: engender policies that ensure government accountability for prisoner rape; change ill-informed and flippant public attitudes toward sexual assault behind bars; and promote access to resources for survivors of this type of violence.

Accountability

Although rape behind bars violates international, federal, and state laws, many institutions remain indifferent to the problem. Simple preventative measures are rarely taken, and reports of rape are often ignored. In the worst facilities, victims are repeatedly denied help and even retaliated against while perpetrators act with impunity.

SPR pushes for sound laws and policies that hold detention officials accountable for maintaining safe facilities and respecting basic human rights. By bringing together lawmakers, activists, survivors, and their loved ones, SPR sparks local reform and nationwide change.

Attitudes

Fighting flippant and ill-informed public attitudes about prisoner rape is a constant challenge for SPR. Many people still believe that inmates deserve to be raped. Others think that prisoner rape somehow deters crime, or that prisoner rape is irrelevant to their lives, because it happens behind bars. Some even think that prisoner rape is funny.

Each of these ideas is incorrect - dangerously so - but these misconceptions thrive because the general public knows little about the real story of prisoner rape. To combat this ignorance, SPR offers first-hand accounts of abuse from survivors and informed analysis on the issue's impact on the community. In high-profile media outlets that span the political spectrum, SPR is bringing the true face of prisoner rape to light.

Access

All victims of rape suffer in mind, body, and spirit. Unfortunately, few resources exist to help survivors of prisoner rape, who remain a marginalized and drastically underserved population. As the only organization in the U.S. devoted to this issue, survivors and their loved ones frequently turn to SPR for access to vital information and resources.

SPR's resource materials, written by experts and survivors themselves, help to end the isolation that can be so devastating in the aftermath of abuse. For SPR, promoting access means linking survivors to existing mental health and legal services and reaching out to encourage providers to serve this neglected population.

Please join in SPR's fight to support safety, dignity, and human rights for all.