Rape Commission Questions Attorney General’s Proposed Prison Rape Standards

"No matter what crime somebody's done, the sentence doesn't include being raped," said Prison Fellowship Vice President Pat Nolan.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that, on average, 124 adult and juvenile inmates are sexually assaulted in U.S. prisons every day. The U.S. Attorney General has announced plans to significantly weaken the standards that will hold prison officials accountable for eliminating rape in their prisons.

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WHAT:   Press conference to discuss weakened prison rape elimination standards and encourage the public to urge Attorney General Holder to strengthen his proposed standards

WHERE:   National Press Club

Fourth Estate Room

529 14th St. NW

Washington, D.C. 20045
202.662.7500

WHEN:     Wed., March 23 at 9:30 a.m. ET

WHO:   Members of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission

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Monday, April 4, is the deadline for the public to comment on the attorney general's proposed changes to the prison rape standards. Among the proposed changes are:

• Allowing cross-gender pat downs

• Exempting immigration prisons from rape standards

• Allowing prison systems to audit themselves

• Eliminating requirements that prisons enforce the standards (requiring them only to have a plan and no penalty if the plan is not implemented)

 

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY:

Prison Fellowship Vice President and National Prison Rape Elimination Commission member Pat Nolan can speak to the Prison Rape Elimination Act and the adoption of prison rape elimination standards mandated by 2003 legislation and completed by the commission in June 2009.

 

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