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Political Opposites Agree on This: Prison Rape Epidemic Must End Now

Bi-Partisan Coalition Unveils Letter Urging Eric Holder to Adopt Prison Rape Standards

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2010—Yesterday at the National Press Club, Prison Fellowship led a bi-partisan coalition of religious, political, human rights and civil rights groups to unveil a joint letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.  Signed by 35 organizations, the letter urges Holder to adopt prison rape elimination standards mandated by 2003 legislation and completed 14 months ago.  The Attorney General missed the June 2010 deadline to adopt these standards designed to end sexual abuse in prisons; eradicate the long-term harm to survivors, their families and their communities; and ensure safety and justice for the incarcerated.

The letter was made public at a 10:00 a.m. ET press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 17, led by Prison Fellowship.  For audio of the press conference, click here.  For high-res, downloadable photos, click here and other media materials, visit the online press kit.

Other coalition members in attendance at the press conference included:

  • American Civil Liberties Union
  • American Conservative Union
  • American Legislative Exchange Council
  • Focus on the Family
  • Just Detention International
  • Open Society Policy Center
  • Southern Baptist Convention
  • The Sentencing Project
"One-hundred-nineteen adults and six juveniles per day are sexually assaulted.  And that's appalling.  No matter what crime somebody's done, the sentence doesn't include being raped," said Prison Fellowship Vice President Pat Nolan.  "The bureaucracy is just dragging its feet, doing a slow walk to the mound, because, frankly, prisons don't like anybody looking over their shoulder.  But, that's the only way that we'll stop this, is holding them accountable."

 Prison Fellowship's Nolan helped develop the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), passed unanimously by Congress in 2003, and served on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC), tasked with developing standards to guide corrections officials in preventing prison rapes and hold them accountable for achieving results.  The NPREC presented those standards to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in June 2009, and the DOJ was statutorily required to adopt them by June 2010.  That deadline has passed, and the DOJ expects to take another year to review them.  The letter signers caution that any further delay will mean tens of thousands of additional men, women and youths will be raped in America's prisons.  For a prison rape elimination timeline of events, click here.

About Prison Fellowship
Founded in 1976 by former Nixon aide Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship is the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.  Prison Fellowship partners with churches, volunteers, other faith-based ministries, civic organizations, businesses and social agencies to focus on three areas: prisoners, communities and prisoners' families.   Find Prison Fellowship online at www.prisonfellowship.org.  For all general inquiries call (877) 478-0100. Prison Fellowship is located in Lansdowne, Va.

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