Let’s fund fight to end sexual assaults in prison
Sexual assault should never be part of a prison sentence. Most Americans agree; new polling by Barna and Prison Fellowship — the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners — indicate that 90 percent of Christians believe correctional facilities should be safe and humane.
Strong, conservative leaders like U.S. Rep. John Culberson, chairman of the powerful appropriations subcommittee that funds the U.S. Department of Justice, have championed increased funding for programs and policies that work to end sexual assaults against incarcerated youth, women and men. These protections embody our belief in the inherent dignity of every human being.
Policies to curb sexual assault behind bars were made possible through the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). It was signed into law by President Bush in 2003 with the full support of Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate. One of the authors of the legislation was then-Senator and current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who worked across the aisle with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., to secure its passage. The legislation was also championed by conservative leaders like Prison Fellowship’s late founder, Chuck Colson.
In 2012, the Justice Department released its national standards on preventing and addressing sexual assaults in prisons, jails, and other confinement facilities. Over the last five years, prison leaders have worked hard to bring their facilities into compliance. Nineteen states have already met the standards, and another 34 territories and states — including Texas — are working to fully implement them. PREA standards, which include improved training, detection, investigation, and punishment of incidents of sexual assault, make correctional facilities safer for both the incarcerated and corrections officers. With Justice Department funding to help with implementation, the goal is to reduce and one day end the scourge of sexual assault behind bars.
In 2011–12, an estimated 4 percent of state and federal prisoners and 3.2 percent of people held in jails reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another prisoner or facility staff. That’s tens of thousands of cases of sexual assault every year. For many years, sexual assault prevention has been grossly underfunded, but this year’s White House budget request to Congress included a 50-percent boost to help states implement PREA. As chairman of the appropriations committee, Rep. Culberson responded by fully funding this program at $15.5 million.
Although it’s a small slice of the Justice Department’s nearly $30 billion budget, these resources will enable more states to fully comply with the law’s standards on an accelerated timeline. These improvements will help prevent assault, making prisons safer and more rehabilitative. They also will help assuage the deep anxieties of people with a loved one behind bars, including those who are particularly vulnerable to assault, like youth held in adult facilities. We’re confident that with Culberson’s support, the full funding will be preserved and included in the final government budget.
Our justice system is founded on the belief that everyone has equal value before the law — no matter what they stand accused of. Their basic human dignity must not disappear once they are arrested. When jails and prisons meet basic standards for safe, humane treatment, we uphold our historic values and make our criminal justice system more rehabilitative.
DeRoche is the senior vice president of advocacy and public policy at Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners and their families. He is also a senior fellow with Right on Crime and the former speaker of the House in Michigan.