Policy Watch
LGBTQ Safety in Detention
Human Rights in the USA
South Africa Initiative
Paths to Recovery
Fighting Flippant Attitudes
Reaching Out to Survivors

Policy Watch:

SPR was instrumental in securing passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), the first-ever federal law addressing prisoner rape. Since PREA was signed into law by President Bush in September 2003, SPR has focused its attention on ensuring the law’s meaningful implementation.

To that end, SPR monitors and contributes to the work of the bipartisan National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. Since 2005, SPR experts and more than a dozen courageous survivors of prisoner rape have participated in public hearings held by the Commission. By bringing their first-hand stories of sexual violence in detention directly to the Commissioners, these survivors have initiated a serious discussion about the human devastation caused by prisoner rape. In addition to facilitating  survivor witnesses testimony at future Commission hearings, SPR will also provide expert analysis and survivor input on the national standards that the Commission is drafting, and are due to be released in early 2008 .

As part of its PREA implementation efforts, SPR also monitors and collaborates with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), which has been given the task of developing and conducting two critically important inmate surveys, one for adults and one for juveniles. The goal of these surveys is to establish the prevalence of prisoner rape nationwide. SPR has worked hard to ensure that the survey tools take into account the concerns of survivors and has filmed a training video for the surveyors, educating them about the complex dynamics of prisoner rape.  The survey was launched in spring 2007, and SPR is working to monitor its implementation and encourage inmates to participate.

At the state level, SPR works with departments of corrections, advocating for effective measures to put an end to prisoner rape. In California, SPR assisted Assembly Member Jackie Goldberg in developing the California Sexual Abuse in Detention Elimination Act (AB 550), which was signed into law in the fall of 2005. Among other stipulations, the law requires that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) allow external organizations improved access to its facilities. SPR is also the only advocacy organization to serve on a CDCR task force seeking to end prisoner rape, and has helped to develop a sexual violence awareness training manual prepared by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

LGBTQ Safety in Detention:

While anyone can become the victim of prisoner rape, certain inmate communities are especially vulnerable to this type of violence – chief among them LGBTQ inmates. One of SPR’s core programs is a ground-breaking effort to improve the safety of these detainees. SPR has developed a set of policy recommendations entitled “Call for Change” that, if fully implemented, would significantly decrease the incidence of sexual violence against LGBTQ prisoners. SPR has also mobilized a unique coalition of a diverse group of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ organizations as “Call for Change” signatories. Together with this coalition, SPR negotiates with corrections officials and policymakers, offers public testimony, and generates media coverage about the extreme dangers facing LGBTQ inmates.

Human Rights in the USA:

Through a training initiative entitled Bringing it Home: Prisoner Rape and Human Rights in the USA, SPR introduces international human rights standards and language into the correctional setting for the first time. During its interactive training sessions, tailored for U.S. prison and jail officials, SPR makes clear their absolute responsibility under international law to protect inmates from sexual abuse. In particular, the training focuses on every person’s inalienable right to be free from torture, including state-sanctioned sexual violence. By introducing these principles into prisons and jails, SPR seeks to develop a new code of practice and to transform attitudes among corrections staff.

SPR also works hard to ensure that the U.S. fulfills its obligations under the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As part of that effort, in 2006, SPR submitted a report, entitled In the Shadows: Sexual Violence in U.S. Detention Facilities, to the United Nations Committee against Torture. In the Shadows highlights the widespread sexual abuse of incarcerated men, women, and youth in U.S. detention facilities and offers recommendations aimed at remedying this acute human rights crisis.

South Africa Initiative:

Through its South Africa Initiative, SPR seeks to put an end to the sexual violence that permeates prisons there and fuels the spread of HIV/AIDS. In September 2006, working with local partners, SPR hosted pilot workshops inside four prisons in the provinces of Western Cape and Gauteng. Each workshop was attended by community-based ombudspersons, known as Independent Prison Visitors (IPVs), and several corrections officials. The topics covered in each workshop included: the dynamics of prisoner rape; the link between prison gangs and sexual violence; the emotional and physical repercussions of rape, including HIV/AIDS; and how to identify and provide support to survivors who may be reluctant to seek help for fear of retaliation.

In 2007, SPR and its partners will lead workshops in the remaining seven provinces, reaching all the IPVs and scores of prison staff. Once the initial round of workshops is complete, SPR will work with Judicial Inspectorate staff to ensure that sexual violence and HIV prevention is incorporated into the training curriculum for future IPVs.

Paths to Recovery:

This pilot project seeks to end the long-standing neglect of the mental health needs of men and women who have survived the trauma of sexual assault behind bars. Paths to Recovery draws on the counseling resources available outside of prisons in California to address the unmet needs of prisoner rape survivors still in custody. Through this initiative, SPR staff, state prison officials, and rape crisis counselors are working together to create a unique space within which inmates who have been raped are able to receive confidential, high quality services without fear of retaliation or further abuse.

One of the cornerstones of Paths to Recovery is SPR’s insistence that counselors be able to work inside prisons while maintaining the strict confidentiality standards required on the outside. Two California prisons serve as project pilot sites – the California Institution for Women (CIW) and the California Correctional Institution (CCI). SPR expects to expand this initiative to other detention facilities in 2007-2008.

Fighting Flippant Attitudes:

Building on its extensive media contacts and its solid reputation for thoroughness and accuracy, SPR has been increasingly successful in generating media coverage that discusses prisoner rape for what it is – a crime and a human rights violation. In 2006 alone, the work of SPR and its survivor advocates was covered in scores of media outlets, including the The Advocate, Associated Press, BBC World Service, C-Span, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, NPR, Reuters, and USA Today. The work of SPR was also featured extensively in regional and alternative media outlets.

The most powerful and compelling information about prisoner rape comes from survivors. SPR has developed a unique “Survivor Speakers List” consisting of more than 200 brave men and women who have made a commitment to speaking out about the abuses they endured while incarcerated. In doing so, they transform themselves from victims to important human rights advocates. In 2006, dozens of survivor advocates spoke at public events, testified before the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, and shared their stories with journalists nationwide.

SPR also coordinates the “Not Part of the Penalty” listserv, co-sponsored by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch. Through the listserv, SPR disseminates information on the latest developments in the effort to eliminate prisoner rape to more than 1,200 activists, survivors, lawyers, academic experts, public health specialists, and others.

Reaching Out to Survivors:

Through its “Resource Guide for Survivors of Rape Behind Bars” SPR offers life-saving services to survivors. The “Resource Guide” lists some 400 mental health and legal assistance organizations nationwide that are willing to offer services to prisoner rape survivors. This list is accessible through SPR’s website. In addition, SPR mails each survivor who contacts the organization an individually tailored “Survivor Packet.” Each packet includes an introductory letter, geographically relevant sections of the “Resource Guide,” fact sheets, publications about recovery from sexual abuse, and a letter of hope from another survivor.

If you would like to receive a survivor packet, please write to SPR:

Stop Prisoner Rape
3325 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 340
Los Angeles, CA 90010