Prison Rape Elimination Act

Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2003 to address the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in our nation’s detention centers. In 2012, the Department of Justice announced long-awaited rules for complying with the law, representing the first time that the federal government has issued national standards to help end sexual abuse in prisons, jails and youth detention centers. Unfortunately the DOJ rules do not apply to immigration detention facilities. Rather, the Obama administration has tasked the Department of Homeland Security – which has a dismal record of policing its immigration jails and facilities – with making its own rules for complying with PREA.

11/17/2011

Obama's Words, Our Message: We Must Protect the Vulnerable from Sexual Assault

By Rebecca McCray, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project at 12:43pm

Tell President Obama and Attorney General Holder to grant detainees in ICE custody legal protections from sexual abuse and assault.

10/31/2011

Prison Rape Elimination Act

Trauma Compounded: The Plight of LGBT Immigration Detainees

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:00pm

While it is true that physical and sexual abuse is one of the most serious problems for LGBT detainees, it is by no means the only concern facing them.

10/26/2011

Prison Rape Elimination Act

Battling Prison Rape: Immigration Detainees Deserve Protection, Too

By Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 3:02pm

Excluding immigration detention from prison rape standards that prevent, detect and respond to sexual assault in custody is unjustifiable and unconscionable.

07/13/2011

Prison Rape Elimination Act

Immigrants in Detention: Forgotten Victims of Prison Rape

By Georgeanne M. Usova, Washington Legislative Office & Georgeanne M. Usova, Washington Legislative Office at 4:23pm

Imagine you are arrested — not for committing a crime, but because of your immigration status. You are then taken to an unfamiliar location and locked up in a detention center, far away from your family and friends, to await complicated, confusing, and potentially very lengthy and confusing deportation proceedings. Most of your interactions are in English, your second (or perhaps even fourth) language. You don't have any legal representation to explain what your rights are or how to apply for relief you may be eligible to receive. And in the midst of this stressful time, you are sexually assaulted by a guard — the very person assigned to protect you from harm. What would you do? Would you tell someone, or stay silent for fear that speaking up might increase your chances of deportation or further abuse? If you decided to come forward, whom would you tell, or trust?

American Civil Liberties Union