-Caveat Lector-
{It used to be that 7 of 10 females in prison were there for
killing an abusive spouse or partner. Now that has changed
with the war on drugs. More are there for drug charges.
Remember that Clinton/Gore jailed more people on drug
charges than Reagan and Bush combined, a 'crime' of which
both are guilty themselves. And the Demonrats pretend to be
such champions of Women's Rights! ha! I would rather have
the GOP defend my rights any day.
Amelia}
Amnesty: Laws fail female inmates
BY EUN-KYUNG KIM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Many states fail to protect female
inmates from sexual abuse, according to an Amnesty
International report Tuesday that says some laws are so weak
a prisoner can be held responsible for her attacker's
behavior.
The human rights organization used its report to draw
attention to problems affecting an increasing segment of the
prison population.
``What we've shown here is that it's a systemic problem,''
not just a ``few bad apples'' in the correctional system,
said William Schulz, executive director of Amnesty
International USA.
In its report, the group examined laws in each state and the
District of Columbia that deal with charges of sexual
misconduct by guards and other workers. It found that some
states consider only certain types of sexual assault as
criminal, while other states apply their laws to the actions
of correction officers and not other prison employees like
kitchen staff or medical workers.
Other laws specifically apply to state facilities, and not
lower-level county jails, from where most cases of abuse are
reported, the report found.
More than 1,000 cases of abuse were reported over the last
three years, according to the organization. It believes
hundreds more go unreported, mainly out of fear of
retaliation.
``The mistreatment of prisoners in this society -- even
women prisoners -- is treated less seriously because there
is among some people a bias that people in prison deserve
what they get,'' Schulz said.
Society should care because the women in prison are mothers
to about 200,000 children under 18, he said. Many of those
inmates were abused sexually early in their lives, and
placing them in a system where they are continually abused
limits their ability to ``reintegrate themselves into
society and serve as satisfactory mothers,'' Schulz said.
Amnesty International examined state laws and surveyed
attorneys general and departments of correction to compile
its reports. The group also searched media reports,
interviewed activists and combed lawsuits.
The most widely publicized finding in the report concerns a
South Carolina prison chief who was fired after two guards
were charged with letting inmates have sex at the governor's
residence.
Among other findings in the report:
--A sheriff's deputy in California was fired for letting
female inmates out of their electronic shackles in exchange
for sex.
--An inmate at a California prison received ``an abusive
pelvic exam'' from the prison's doctor. When the woman asked
to stop the exam, the doctor refused, saying, ``No one told
you to come to prison.''
--A Massachusetts corrections officer was charged with two
counts of providing gifts in exchange for sex.
Amnesty International urged state legislatures to toughen
existing laws against sexual misconduct and encouraged the
government to begin taking statistics on such crimes. It
wants all sexual contact between inmates and correctional
staff be considered abusive and criminalized under the law.
It also seeks to prevent any inmate from being held
criminally liable for sexual contact with guards.
The group's report also examined state laws dealing with
pregnant inmates. It found that 18 states and the District
of Columbia allow women to be restrained during labor. At
least 33 states and the District allow restraints during the
transport to a hospital.
------
On the Net: Amnesty International USA:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/
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