Between Smirks and Silence: Ignoring the Epidemic of Prison Rape
Feb 2, 2011
Joe Carter
“Prison rape occupies a fairly odd space in our culture,” wrote Ezra Klein, bringing to the fore a subject that is often ignored. “It is, all at once, a cherished source of humor, a tacitly accepted form of punishment, and a broadly understood human rights abuse.”
We are justifiably outraged by the human rights abuses occurring in foreign lands. Why, then, are we not more outraged by atrocities here in our own country? Our reactions to the problem range from smirking indifference to embarrassed silence. But how can we be indifferent and silent when, as reports by the National Prison Rape Commission continue to show, rape and other forms of sexual assault are becoming endemic to our prison system?
In 2004 the corrections industry estimated that 12,000 rapes occurred per year—more than the annual number of rapes reported in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York combined. Three years later a survey by the U.S. Department of Justice found that more than 60,000 inmates claimed to have been sexually victimized by prison guards or other inmates during the previous twelve months.
As reports suggest, prison gangs target first-time and non-violent offenders for sexual servitude. Once an inmate is forced into a sexually submissive role (he becomes a “punk”), the gangs treat him as chattel. While prison guards increasingly turn a blind eye, the gangs use these men as sexual slaves.
Although the majority of these inmates are eventually returned back into the general public, their sentence could turn into a death penalty. HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C are up to ten times more prevalent in correctional institutions than in the outside population. The repeated abuse these inmates receive makes it almost inevitable that they will be exposed to one of these fatal diseases.
While men tend to be violated by their fellow inmates, female prisoners tend to be raped and assaulted by correctional facility employees. According to Lara Stemple, executive director of Stop Prisoner Rape, in some prisons, up to twenty-seven percent of female inmates are sexually abused. This also leads to a shockingly high rate of prison pregnancy, which only compounds the prisoners’ problems.
During his first term as president, George W. Bush signed into law the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which calls for the gathering of national statistics, the development of guidelines for states about how to address prisoner rape, the creation of a review panel to hold annual hearings, and the provision of grants to states to combat the problem. After decades of ignoring sexual torture and abuse, the hearings and reports have helped shine a light on the dark corners of our correctional system.
While such laws are a useful beginning, what is needed more than any legislation is a change in attitude by the American public. While jokes about conventional rape are always considered in bad taste, humor about prison rape is common and broadly accepted. Television and film frequently make jokes about sexual assault in prison. A few years ago, John Sebelius, son of Kathleen Sebelius, former Kansas governor and current Secretary of Health and Human Services, created a board game called “Don’t Drop the Soap.” When the game was released the governor’s spokesmen said both parents “are very proud of their son John’s creativity and talent.” Would the governor have expressed the same pride if her son designed a game about the rape of women?
How odd indeed that we joke about acts we would denounce if they occurred in other lands. The fact that so many Americans are appalled and angered by human rights abuses in countries like Syria, Iran, and China speaks well of our nation. But we must hold our own country to the same standards. We can’t look away from the sexual torture, assault, slavery, and abuses that are rampant in our own penal system. Concern for human rights must extend beyond both the water’s edge and the prison door.
Joe Carter is web editor of First Things. His previous articles for "On the Square" can be found here.
RESOURCES
Ezra Klein, Prison rape isn't a punch line
National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Report
Comments:
2.2.2011 | 3:38am
In Joculus Veritas says:
Cameras worked to bring Abu Ghraib to light. And obviously there is DNA testing. Anything is worth a try.
Joe, I am outraged. I have always found buggery of any kind to be inexcusable: What manner of man could find pleasure in sadomasochistic, idolatrous, disease-causing, debasing, noisome smut of this sort? And forced intercourse and sodomy among the incarcerated comes across as a very good depiction of hell on earth. I must confess to an inability to understand mercy towards sin of this sort. (Sharia begins to sound reasonable. Unfortunately Muslims seem, from my reading of their behavior in Afghanistan, Turkey, et al., as prone to rape and sodomy as any degenerate American criminal.) Guards who rape inmates should be tried and severly punished.
Prison is obviously a breeding ground for evil. Perhaps it's time to replace 90% of prison time with high-tech shackles, curfews, and, in more serious cases, flogging and other corporal punishments (lovingly administered, of course). Why balk when the alternative is far more cruel and unusual?! We'd save valuable resources and eliminate extrajudicial punishment.
Joe, I am outraged. I have always found buggery of any kind to be inexcusable: What manner of man could find pleasure in sadomasochistic, idolatrous, disease-causing, debasing, noisome smut of this sort? And forced intercourse and sodomy among the incarcerated comes across as a very good depiction of hell on earth. I must confess to an inability to understand mercy towards sin of this sort. (Sharia begins to sound reasonable. Unfortunately Muslims seem, from my reading of their behavior in Afghanistan, Turkey, et al., as prone to rape and sodomy as any degenerate American criminal.) Guards who rape inmates should be tried and severly punished.
Prison is obviously a breeding ground for evil. Perhaps it's time to replace 90% of prison time with high-tech shackles, curfews, and, in more serious cases, flogging and other corporal punishments (lovingly administered, of course). Why balk when the alternative is far more cruel and unusual?! We'd save valuable resources and eliminate extrajudicial punishment.
2.2.2011 | 3:43am
ENOUGH ROPE says:
Prisons are overcrowded; all levels of government are unable to fund improvements that would increase safety for potential victims, and politicians and the public have higher priorities. All of these factors contribute to the failure to act on the Commission Report linked above.
What can be done swiftly to stop prison rape? Segregate the present victims of rape and new prisoners in separate cell blocks or in portions of cell blocks. Arrange meal, shower, and yard times to be separate from the threatening population. Route the threatening population away from the cells and members of the endangered population at all times.
Hire an assistant warden for each of three shifts to walk the cell blocks for the endangered inmates. Hire another set of three wardens to do the same in the threatening cell blocks. Any prisoner that attempts to, or does, molest or rape another prisoner will be transferred to solitary confinement for four weeks. If solitary confinement facilities are unavailable, chain them to a ring in a wall with sufficient chain length to sleep in bed and use a chamber pot for toilet needs. Details of meals, and sanitation can be designed by the prison administration.
If any correction guards are found to be guilty of willfully allowing a rape, or performing their duties in a negligent manner that allows a rape, then they should be charged with criminal and civil penalties under existing laws or new laws enacted to encourage prevention of rape by prison guards.
In the long term, there should be a coalition of states by region to study the revision of drug laws which account for a significant number of convicts for long term sentences. That may be one way to reduce the prison population to less crowded conditions.
What can be done swiftly to stop prison rape? Segregate the present victims of rape and new prisoners in separate cell blocks or in portions of cell blocks. Arrange meal, shower, and yard times to be separate from the threatening population. Route the threatening population away from the cells and members of the endangered population at all times.
Hire an assistant warden for each of three shifts to walk the cell blocks for the endangered inmates. Hire another set of three wardens to do the same in the threatening cell blocks. Any prisoner that attempts to, or does, molest or rape another prisoner will be transferred to solitary confinement for four weeks. If solitary confinement facilities are unavailable, chain them to a ring in a wall with sufficient chain length to sleep in bed and use a chamber pot for toilet needs. Details of meals, and sanitation can be designed by the prison administration.
If any correction guards are found to be guilty of willfully allowing a rape, or performing their duties in a negligent manner that allows a rape, then they should be charged with criminal and civil penalties under existing laws or new laws enacted to encourage prevention of rape by prison guards.
In the long term, there should be a coalition of states by region to study the revision of drug laws which account for a significant number of convicts for long term sentences. That may be one way to reduce the prison population to less crowded conditions.
2.2.2011 | 3:55am
Wolf Paul says:
To answer tyour question, "But how can we be indifferent and silent when, as reports by the National Prison Rape Commission continue to show, rape and other forms of sexual assault are becoming endemic to our prison system?", I would say it is because we all like to believe that somehow, those in prison (the bad guys) are essentially different from those of us on the outside (the good guys), and if the bad guys want to do such things to each other, that's no concern of ours, and besides, they probably deserve it.
Now, we don't really have any reason to expect differently of non-believers, but this is a problem among Christians as well, and will remain so until we really start believing that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
As long as our Christianity is focused on moral living rather than on the grace of God, we will not be noticably different from non-believers in this regard.
Now, we don't really have any reason to expect differently of non-believers, but this is a problem among Christians as well, and will remain so until we really start believing that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
As long as our Christianity is focused on moral living rather than on the grace of God, we will not be noticably different from non-believers in this regard.
2.2.2011 | 6:13am
Andrzej says:
The cops in Law&Order SVU very often show a degree of satisfaction when they tell a rapist that he will find out what rape is once he is sent to prison.
2.2.2011 | 7:51am
Alan says:
The widespread use of cameras to monitor prisoners would not violate a right to privacy, and it would do much to identify law-breakers. But there must be swift and sure punishment. That would involve not internal discipline but criminal prosecution. A standing policy forbidding guards to have sexual relations with prisoners would be helpful--given the disparity in power, it is hard to see such relations as consensual. And if guards violate this policy, the same stringent penalties that one now sees for pedophile priests should prevail. This may be a long-standing problem, but it can be dramatically reduced. And while one is at it, one should ponder the possibility of "full-contact" prison visits with spouses or significant others.
2.2.2011 | 8:50am
Eric says:
I think that edmond brings up a salient, if dismal, point. The grim reality is that the law is being ignored now and the commission report is being greeted by the public with a collective yawn. Enhanced protections for prisoners and complaint processes are sure to be abused by inmates and add additional expense to a prison system that is already turning into a budgetary nightmare. What is more, any politician who advocates on behalf of prisoners' rights even in this area makes himself vulnerable to the charge that he is "soft on crime." It isn't a mistake that someone like Sheriff Arapio in Arizona can both brag that the food he feeds his inmates is cheaper than the food he feeds his dogs and also enjoy stratospheric popularity.
Prison rape is here to stay, and there is very little that can be done about it.
Prison rape is here to stay, and there is very little that can be done about it.
2.2.2011 | 12:45pm
Scott W says:
As an ex-convict and an academic who has studied prisons in my doctoral studies, let me try to clear a few things up. Prison rape is not here to stay. In 1992 I was sent to a maximum security prison in Washington at the age of 18. I was there for a year and there was a single rape. Prison is a tiny society where secrets are hard to keep, and so little is hidden. There is no "epidemic" of rape in the federal prison system, or in many other states. Thus, many prison systems have effectively eliminated prison rape (a zero incidence rate is presumably impossible over time). On the other hand, there are states in the deep South, perhaps California and New York as well, where this is an intolerable problem. I would caution readers that public interest/social justice groups are notorious for grossly exaggerating their numbers so as to rally attention to their cause. As an academic, I find that unhelpful, and as a Christian, I view it as a willful lie. It is also the case the prison inmates like to talk up the dangers of prison life--it makes them feel brave, tough, etc, and so take their "war stories" with a grain of salt as well. Finally, with a handful of exceptions, prison inmates are not uniquely evil, or evenly particularly evil. Take myself, I have long been grateful that I only carry around the burden of robbing three banks, numerous thefts, some minor assaults, and gross womanizing in my pre-Christian years. That's bad enough, of course, but at least I don't mourn over the burden of abortion, divorce and other such legal sins. In fact, I have known some murderers (fall-out from a drug deal/theft gone bad) and many other inmates who I trust and esteem--in other words, who have better character--than some professors and other non-inmates that I have known. Peace.
2.2.2011 | 1:00pm
Andy Vissicchio says:
First you have to care about the incarcerated. Rape is another symptom of the lack of desire to rehabilitate and properly care for the inmate while in the custody of the institution. There are so many lost opportunities, to take this time of incarceration, and use it to teach and generally elevate a person spiritually and intellectually. We have a eighteenth century mentality to push down on people in jail or prison and not to lift them up. Those in charge need rehabilitation first, then we can move forward.
2.2.2011 | 1:57pm
Jim says:
I have worked in the prison system. The real key is the warden. If he is insistent that rape not happen, works with his staff, and punishes those who try it severely then it won't happen very often. A month in the hole is not enough. Separating out the predators though is helpful. However, one issue was not touched on in the article. It is hard to tell if sex in prison is consensual. Sometimes it is. Also it is sometimes used to pay off debts. Nevertheless, if the will is there on the part of warden and staff it can become a rarity.
2.2.2011 | 2:22pm
Gil says:
Scott W,
I don't doubt that whatever section you were in at whatever prison you were in for a year that you only knew of one rape. But I question some of your other observations and opinions:
"Prison is a tiny society where secrets are hard to keep, and so little is hidden." Again, perhaps this is true of the prison you were in, but not in the prison I did close to 10 years in, Trenton State Prison, New Jersey, which, having been around for over a hundred years, must in many ways reflect many other prisons in America. That prison was in no way a "tiny society"; in fact, it was a rather large society with many complex sub-cultures where many secrets are kept, including rapes and murders. Over the years, being a hardened criminal, after developing close friendships I was amazed to find out how many "hardened criminals" had been raped when they first arrived at prison. Many prisoners who are initially raped go on to become hardened, and they, as well as other prisoners who were raped, along with their assailants, are not about to broadcast it, i.e., they will keep it secret from most everyone, especially other prisoners. I doubt very seriously that you were the type of prisoner that most hardened prisoners were eager to share these secrets with. Projecting your gestalt view from doing a year in a particular section of a particular prison in a particular mindset (that you only did a year implies that your mind was fixated on rehabilitation and getting out of prison, which in itself would necessarily limit your prison experience, even in the "tiny society" you were in) is not something I consider prudent.
I wish you well in your studies, but I must recommend that in your future studies you perhaps open your mind to the many experiences of thousands of other prisoners who do not exaggerate their experiences involving rape simply because they would not humiliate themselves in that way. Also, as an academic, when disputing statistics on rapes in prisons please furnish the statistics you know of that controvert the statistics you consider lies.
I don't doubt that whatever section you were in at whatever prison you were in for a year that you only knew of one rape. But I question some of your other observations and opinions:
"Prison is a tiny society where secrets are hard to keep, and so little is hidden." Again, perhaps this is true of the prison you were in, but not in the prison I did close to 10 years in, Trenton State Prison, New Jersey, which, having been around for over a hundred years, must in many ways reflect many other prisons in America. That prison was in no way a "tiny society"; in fact, it was a rather large society with many complex sub-cultures where many secrets are kept, including rapes and murders. Over the years, being a hardened criminal, after developing close friendships I was amazed to find out how many "hardened criminals" had been raped when they first arrived at prison. Many prisoners who are initially raped go on to become hardened, and they, as well as other prisoners who were raped, along with their assailants, are not about to broadcast it, i.e., they will keep it secret from most everyone, especially other prisoners. I doubt very seriously that you were the type of prisoner that most hardened prisoners were eager to share these secrets with. Projecting your gestalt view from doing a year in a particular section of a particular prison in a particular mindset (that you only did a year implies that your mind was fixated on rehabilitation and getting out of prison, which in itself would necessarily limit your prison experience, even in the "tiny society" you were in) is not something I consider prudent.
I wish you well in your studies, but I must recommend that in your future studies you perhaps open your mind to the many experiences of thousands of other prisoners who do not exaggerate their experiences involving rape simply because they would not humiliate themselves in that way. Also, as an academic, when disputing statistics on rapes in prisons please furnish the statistics you know of that controvert the statistics you consider lies.
2.2.2011 | 3:25pm
Noam says:
Apparently prison rape is also epidemic within juvenile prisons. Frankly, I find that even more appalling.
2.2.2011 | 4:10pm
Scott W says:
Gil,
That's fine you disagree with me, but why make a thinly veiled insult? You know nothing about me, and so why assume I was not the type of inmate that inmates would share with? If I was the cold, callous type that was incapable of sharing/being shared with, then what am I doing writing on First Things , enjoying family and parish life, and why am I not back in prison? As my comments above suggest, I had many friends in prison--all of them "solid cons"--and they are dear to me then and are dear to me now. And BTW, who in a max prison is focused on rehabilitation? Not solid cons... And BTW again, I was in prison for three years.
I am not surprised your NJ prison had higher incidences of prison rape. Notice I mentioned NY above. My point was that many states and the federal prison have substantively resolved the prison rape issue. As you yourself caution me about (like I don't already know...), it is unwise to assume all prisons are the same. In fact, within a given state system, there is a staggering difference between max and min prisons. There were 1000 inmates in my max prison--equivalent to a smallish high school--and like high school, we knew everyone's business whether they were white, black, hispanic, a solid con or an outcast (snitch, sex offender). That's fine if a larger prison or more segregated structure prevented the flow of info, fine, prisons differ.
My further observation is that due to the exaggeration of tv, movies, and inmates' own bravado, prison is thought to be worse than it is. Sometimes it is that bad, but for the most part it isnt. Though it is plenty bad of course: I bullied my share of child molesters, and saw countless fights from card games and petty slights.
Sorry I hit a sensitive spot Gil, but carefully read what I wrote and not what you think I said. Finally, I won't respond further as I make it a policy not to "argue" on blogs. Catholic blogs notoriously lack charity and people react with emotions and see what they want to see. Peace.
That's fine you disagree with me, but why make a thinly veiled insult? You know nothing about me, and so why assume I was not the type of inmate that inmates would share with? If I was the cold, callous type that was incapable of sharing/being shared with, then what am I doing writing on First Things , enjoying family and parish life, and why am I not back in prison? As my comments above suggest, I had many friends in prison--all of them "solid cons"--and they are dear to me then and are dear to me now. And BTW, who in a max prison is focused on rehabilitation? Not solid cons... And BTW again, I was in prison for three years.
I am not surprised your NJ prison had higher incidences of prison rape. Notice I mentioned NY above. My point was that many states and the federal prison have substantively resolved the prison rape issue. As you yourself caution me about (like I don't already know...), it is unwise to assume all prisons are the same. In fact, within a given state system, there is a staggering difference between max and min prisons. There were 1000 inmates in my max prison--equivalent to a smallish high school--and like high school, we knew everyone's business whether they were white, black, hispanic, a solid con or an outcast (snitch, sex offender). That's fine if a larger prison or more segregated structure prevented the flow of info, fine, prisons differ.
My further observation is that due to the exaggeration of tv, movies, and inmates' own bravado, prison is thought to be worse than it is. Sometimes it is that bad, but for the most part it isnt. Though it is plenty bad of course: I bullied my share of child molesters, and saw countless fights from card games and petty slights.
Sorry I hit a sensitive spot Gil, but carefully read what I wrote and not what you think I said. Finally, I won't respond further as I make it a policy not to "argue" on blogs. Catholic blogs notoriously lack charity and people react with emotions and see what they want to see. Peace.
2.2.2011 | 4:13pm
Allan Wafkowski says:
This disgrace is but a glimpse of the true underbelly of an evil society. The United States has more people in prison than any other country in the world--yes, that includes (Red) China. There is a moral imperative to protect those under your care--or, in this case, oppression. The United States fails to do this while foolishly babbling about injustice in foreign lands.
The United States is so far out of touch with moral reality that it considers prison violence a positive teaching aid for our children. One wonders whether their "scared-straight" philosophy is working considering the fact that each year even more of our children are placed in jail.
The United States is so far out of touch with moral reality that it considers prison violence a positive teaching aid for our children. One wonders whether their "scared-straight" philosophy is working considering the fact that each year even more of our children are placed in jail.
2.2.2011 | 4:19pm
Daniel says:
I would suggest that Scott's experience is highly unusual.
While I've never served prison time, penological studies have found on numerous occasions that prison rape is highly common....particularly minority on white rape.
While I've never served prison time, penological studies have found on numerous occasions that prison rape is highly common....particularly minority on white rape.
2.2.2011 | 5:26pm
Michael says:
Joe,
Thanks, one more time, for a thoughtful article. Of all the writers on this site, you remain the most reliably fresh, thought-provoking, and honest.
Thanks, one more time, for a thoughtful article. Of all the writers on this site, you remain the most reliably fresh, thought-provoking, and honest.
2.2.2011 | 6:46pm
Gil says:
Dostoyevsky had this to say: "The degree of civilization can be judged from the insides of it prisons." This is often interpreted to mean that how we treat the most isolated and forgotten will reveal the degree of how civilized we actually are. But I think he had something else in mind: In prison many of the veils of cultural illusion are ripped away, where it is then possible to get a closer look at human nature in the raw relative to the time and place of the dominant culture, its mindset. For example:
In the early 60s, the last vestige of an earlier cultural ideal of reforming prisoners was still in place, the ideal of moral rectitude, which included the work ethic: hard labor would develop work habits that would enable prisoners to make a choice once leaving prison: working a steady job as the best means of pursuing the good life (they would KNOW they could work a steady job, that they weren’t incapacitated in that respect because of their upbringing), as opposed to sloth, looking for the good life in the quick fix or the fast track. I witnessed the beginning of the new cultural mindset and would experience getting swallowed up in it, the therapeutic and entitlement culture which viewed hard labor as exploitation, and began to replace it with therapy and education, and this for me was a torture worse than the old system, for it involved a new type of authoritarian, one who was always in a position of gnostic superiority (calling us “inmates” instead of “prisoners” because we were now viewed as patients), whereas under the old system equality was easy: just learn to do the right thing, and the authoritarians were convinced we prisoners were capable of it, that we really were endowed with freedom, and in that I, as a prisoner, found real dignity.
In the former culture, prisoners found their dignity in moral equations. So, for example, “rapos” were looked down on and had to be isolated in protective custody: their very lives were in danger. Most prisoners looked at them as persons who would rape their mothers, wives and children, and thus would seize an opportunity to do harm to them.
The incipient therapeutic culture sought first to free prisoners from the repressions of childhood, and resulted in all kinds of absurdities, including providing prisoners with porn to help them develop a free flowing, non-repressed libido, which in the sex therapist’s point of view would prevent them from raping women once they got out of prison. These therapists also provided sexual predators with all kinds of alibis for their behavior, that they were not really responsible for what they were doing, somehow forgetting that the vast majority of adults who were sexually abused as children didn’t end up being sexual predators. And many prisoners caught on to Foucault and Company much faster than the larger culture. Rapos were not only no longer stigmatized: they started to be viewed by other prisoners as fully actualized predators in a Nietzschean sense: they violated all the boundaries of a repressive Judaic-Christian culture better than anyone. This, in my view, is the cause of an increase in rape within prisons, for rape is, as is well known, not about sex, but about dominance, and to sodomize is an act of subjugation, inside or outside of prison, in violent assault and in consensual sex. And why I cringe when I think of sex educators telling children that sodomy is an act of love.
In the early 60s, the last vestige of an earlier cultural ideal of reforming prisoners was still in place, the ideal of moral rectitude, which included the work ethic: hard labor would develop work habits that would enable prisoners to make a choice once leaving prison: working a steady job as the best means of pursuing the good life (they would KNOW they could work a steady job, that they weren’t incapacitated in that respect because of their upbringing), as opposed to sloth, looking for the good life in the quick fix or the fast track. I witnessed the beginning of the new cultural mindset and would experience getting swallowed up in it, the therapeutic and entitlement culture which viewed hard labor as exploitation, and began to replace it with therapy and education, and this for me was a torture worse than the old system, for it involved a new type of authoritarian, one who was always in a position of gnostic superiority (calling us “inmates” instead of “prisoners” because we were now viewed as patients), whereas under the old system equality was easy: just learn to do the right thing, and the authoritarians were convinced we prisoners were capable of it, that we really were endowed with freedom, and in that I, as a prisoner, found real dignity.
In the former culture, prisoners found their dignity in moral equations. So, for example, “rapos” were looked down on and had to be isolated in protective custody: their very lives were in danger. Most prisoners looked at them as persons who would rape their mothers, wives and children, and thus would seize an opportunity to do harm to them.
The incipient therapeutic culture sought first to free prisoners from the repressions of childhood, and resulted in all kinds of absurdities, including providing prisoners with porn to help them develop a free flowing, non-repressed libido, which in the sex therapist’s point of view would prevent them from raping women once they got out of prison. These therapists also provided sexual predators with all kinds of alibis for their behavior, that they were not really responsible for what they were doing, somehow forgetting that the vast majority of adults who were sexually abused as children didn’t end up being sexual predators. And many prisoners caught on to Foucault and Company much faster than the larger culture. Rapos were not only no longer stigmatized: they started to be viewed by other prisoners as fully actualized predators in a Nietzschean sense: they violated all the boundaries of a repressive Judaic-Christian culture better than anyone. This, in my view, is the cause of an increase in rape within prisons, for rape is, as is well known, not about sex, but about dominance, and to sodomize is an act of subjugation, inside or outside of prison, in violent assault and in consensual sex. And why I cringe when I think of sex educators telling children that sodomy is an act of love.
2.2.2011 | 7:05pm
Daniel says:
Based on Dostoevsky's quote, America's prisons are barbaric cesspools reflecting a debased and degraded society.
Not due to the tax payers who fund them, but due to the gangster element that largely populates them.
The criminal culture of black and hispanic America(along with lower class whites) is an abomination of the nation.
The enabling rationalization and apologism for these animals is nihilistic and misguided.
Not due to the tax payers who fund them, but due to the gangster element that largely populates them.
The criminal culture of black and hispanic America(along with lower class whites) is an abomination of the nation.
The enabling rationalization and apologism for these animals is nihilistic and misguided.
2.2.2011 | 7:55pm
Scott W says:
Hi Daniel,
Yes, as a doctoral candidate I'm familiar with the literature on prisons. Notice the fundamental claim of the text you supply above: rape predominately includes a white victim and a non-white (usually black) aggressor. Now think of the states I mentioned where prison rape is still a problem: the deep South, and NY and CA (I said 'perhaps' since the data didn't immediately come to mind). My point is that prison rape is not an epidemic in places like OR, WA, ID, UT, AZ, NEB, SD, ND, MT, WY, etc as well as the federal prison system. And race isn't the only issue, but that's a whole other can of worms.
The point of my original post was threefold: Not all prisons or prison systems are alike (particularly in the case of rape); Academics who focus on prisons seem to often miss this point as they are "true believers" who mix too much "praxis" with getting their facts right (I've met many of them at conferences...sigh); and inmates are not simply brutes who prey upon each other. As an ex-con, I have a vested interest in propagating my third point--I don't want people falsely believing I was a participant in some house of horrors. BTW, a jailed sex offender would disagree with claim three--they are often bullied and robbed and I regret my part in that.
In any event I am sure we (as well as Gil) can all agree on points one and three. Thank you for your civility, God bless you, and I am moving on from this post since I have much to do. Peace.
Yes, as a doctoral candidate I'm familiar with the literature on prisons. Notice the fundamental claim of the text you supply above: rape predominately includes a white victim and a non-white (usually black) aggressor. Now think of the states I mentioned where prison rape is still a problem: the deep South, and NY and CA (I said 'perhaps' since the data didn't immediately come to mind). My point is that prison rape is not an epidemic in places like OR, WA, ID, UT, AZ, NEB, SD, ND, MT, WY, etc as well as the federal prison system. And race isn't the only issue, but that's a whole other can of worms.
The point of my original post was threefold: Not all prisons or prison systems are alike (particularly in the case of rape); Academics who focus on prisons seem to often miss this point as they are "true believers" who mix too much "praxis" with getting their facts right (I've met many of them at conferences...sigh); and inmates are not simply brutes who prey upon each other. As an ex-con, I have a vested interest in propagating my third point--I don't want people falsely believing I was a participant in some house of horrors. BTW, a jailed sex offender would disagree with claim three--they are often bullied and robbed and I regret my part in that.
In any event I am sure we (as well as Gil) can all agree on points one and three. Thank you for your civility, God bless you, and I am moving on from this post since I have much to do. Peace.
2.2.2011 | 9:58pm
Gil says:
Daniel,
Thanks for your post. When I went to prison at age 21, it didn't take me long to realize that the only way to avoid getting raped was to make an absolute commitment to killing or being killed in defending myself. For example, I had determined even if one of the rapo gangs (one was the "Tree Jumpers", a Camden, New Jersey click that developed the technique of raping women on the outside by jumping out of trees) did end up raping me by beating me unconscious, I would kill as many as I could in the recreation room after getting out of the prison hospital.
I think you would enjoy a French film, a fictional work of art that captures a mood of prison life that rarely shows up in films: "A Prophet"
And thanks, Joe, for putting this issue to print. However, I’m convinced that prisons will remain what I believe Dostoyevsky viewed them as, a raw reflection of the larger culture outside. In other words, the only way to change prisons is to change the larger culture outside, something First Things is in the forefront in accomplishing.
Thanks for your post. When I went to prison at age 21, it didn't take me long to realize that the only way to avoid getting raped was to make an absolute commitment to killing or being killed in defending myself. For example, I had determined even if one of the rapo gangs (one was the "Tree Jumpers", a Camden, New Jersey click that developed the technique of raping women on the outside by jumping out of trees) did end up raping me by beating me unconscious, I would kill as many as I could in the recreation room after getting out of the prison hospital.
I think you would enjoy a French film, a fictional work of art that captures a mood of prison life that rarely shows up in films: "A Prophet"
And thanks, Joe, for putting this issue to print. However, I’m convinced that prisons will remain what I believe Dostoyevsky viewed them as, a raw reflection of the larger culture outside. In other words, the only way to change prisons is to change the larger culture outside, something First Things is in the forefront in accomplishing.
2.3.2011 | 1:02am
Christine says:
Joe,
This is an important issue that should be brought to light, and some useful discussion has taken place in these comments. However, some of the comments did not need to pass moderation. I'm thinking especially of the extremely long comment by one "Daniel," which is not only unnecessarily graphic but heavily laced with white supremacist and racial separatist thinking. In the future, more moderation of the comments --especially on such sensitive issues -- would be appreciated. First Things should not lend itself to prurience or to misguided ideology.
This is an important issue that should be brought to light, and some useful discussion has taken place in these comments. However, some of the comments did not need to pass moderation. I'm thinking especially of the extremely long comment by one "Daniel," which is not only unnecessarily graphic but heavily laced with white supremacist and racial separatist thinking. In the future, more moderation of the comments --especially on such sensitive issues -- would be appreciated. First Things should not lend itself to prurience or to misguided ideology.
2.3.2011 | 7:04am
Daniel says:
Christine's objections to a factual study which is entirely appropriate to the subject of the article displays the morally bankrupt mindset of the leftist hypocrite.
Because of this mentality, we have the issue before us that Joe Carter writes about.
Truth is anathema to the Christines of the world. People like her are also responsible for the clergy abuse scandal........which I spoke out on over 20 years ago.
Because of this mentality, we have the issue before us that Joe Carter writes about.
Truth is anathema to the Christines of the world. People like her are also responsible for the clergy abuse scandal........which I spoke out on over 20 years ago.
2.3.2011 | 8:21am
matt says:
Joe,
Thanks for bringing this up. Your link to the report is wrong, though. Here's a link to the full report (PDF; 276 pages):
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/226680.pdf
And here's a link to the executive summary (PDF; 28 pages):
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/resources/pdf_documents/prea/NPREC_ExecSummary.pdf
Thanks for bringing this up. Your link to the report is wrong, though. Here's a link to the full report (PDF; 276 pages):
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/226680.pdf
And here's a link to the executive summary (PDF; 28 pages):
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/resources/pdf_documents/prea/NPREC_ExecSummary.pdf
2.3.2011 | 9:19am
Ray Ingles says:
Wolf Paul - I would say it is because we all like to believe that somehow, those in prison (the bad guys) are essentially different from those of us on the outside (the good guys)
So far, so good. That's a big part of it.
Now, we don't really have any reason to expect differently of non-believers, but this is a problem among Christians as well, and will remain so until we really start believing that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
And now you just do a different form of dividing people into "good guys (like us)" and "bad guys (those fundamentally different people over there)".
I'm a "non-believer" who agrees with Joe on the scope and importance of the problem. Nor am I alone. I can point to discussions on Pharyngula, PZ Myers' blog, where 'new atheists' lament the problem in much the same terms as Mr. Carter does above.
One simple step in the right direction is to drastically reduce or eliminate prison sentences for non-violent offenses, including non-violent drug offenses. Not only would it reduce crowding - allowing better monitoring of prisoners and less opportunity for violations of all kinds - it would keep things like this from happening: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2011/01/ex-racist_says_hes_sorry.php
So far, so good. That's a big part of it.
Now, we don't really have any reason to expect differently of non-believers, but this is a problem among Christians as well, and will remain so until we really start believing that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
And now you just do a different form of dividing people into "good guys (like us)" and "bad guys (those fundamentally different people over there)".
I'm a "non-believer" who agrees with Joe on the scope and importance of the problem. Nor am I alone. I can point to discussions on Pharyngula, PZ Myers' blog, where 'new atheists' lament the problem in much the same terms as Mr. Carter does above.
One simple step in the right direction is to drastically reduce or eliminate prison sentences for non-violent offenses, including non-violent drug offenses. Not only would it reduce crowding - allowing better monitoring of prisoners and less opportunity for violations of all kinds - it would keep things like this from happening: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2011/01/ex-racist_says_hes_sorry.php
2.3.2011 | 10:09am
Daniel says:
I would like to say that Gil's contribution to this thread was invaluable.
He quotes Dostoevsky, and by his honesty and erudition demonstrates the transformation of a person that FMD so often wrote about as an ideal.
But the real issue here is the INABILITY of many Americans to recognize an unsettling and horrific reality.
Since Gil quoted the great FMD......I'll quote his 20th century incarnation, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
"One word of truth outweighs the world".
PS.....and the late, great AIS was often accused of prurience and misguided ideology.......it was called Gulag Archipelago.
He quotes Dostoevsky, and by his honesty and erudition demonstrates the transformation of a person that FMD so often wrote about as an ideal.
But the real issue here is the INABILITY of many Americans to recognize an unsettling and horrific reality.
Since Gil quoted the great FMD......I'll quote his 20th century incarnation, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
"One word of truth outweighs the world".
PS.....and the late, great AIS was often accused of prurience and misguided ideology.......it was called Gulag Archipelago.
2.3.2011 | 10:25am
Michael says:
I second Christine’s objections to the racism of Daniel’s long post. When you do decide to let such comments be posted, an editorial comment would be welcome. You, Joe, sometimes respond to the posts, but I wonder why you don’t say something about the noxious ones.
Daniel, like Christine, I’m not objecting to the facts presented but to your distorted interpretation of them. And your distortions continue in your assumptions about who Christine is. What makes you think she is “leftist”? Are leftists famous for their denunciations of “graphic” descriptions or of “prurience”? The usual stereotype paints liberals as indifferent to or embracing graphic and prurient descriptions of sex, a stereotype which ignores liberals like Tipper Gore.
Leftists are famous for their fight against racism, but surely you don’t think conservatives are racist. Perhaps Christine is a conservative who despises white supremacy and racial separatism.
But these possibilities don’t occur to you. Why not? What’s closed your mind and made you think that anyone who disagrees with you is a “leftist hypocrite”?
By the way, Christine couldn’t possibly be “responsible for the clergy abuse scandal.” Only the clergy are responsible for the abuse, and only the bishops are responsible for the cover up, which is the real scandal.
Daniel, like Christine, I’m not objecting to the facts presented but to your distorted interpretation of them. And your distortions continue in your assumptions about who Christine is. What makes you think she is “leftist”? Are leftists famous for their denunciations of “graphic” descriptions or of “prurience”? The usual stereotype paints liberals as indifferent to or embracing graphic and prurient descriptions of sex, a stereotype which ignores liberals like Tipper Gore.
Leftists are famous for their fight against racism, but surely you don’t think conservatives are racist. Perhaps Christine is a conservative who despises white supremacy and racial separatism.
But these possibilities don’t occur to you. Why not? What’s closed your mind and made you think that anyone who disagrees with you is a “leftist hypocrite”?
By the way, Christine couldn’t possibly be “responsible for the clergy abuse scandal.” Only the clergy are responsible for the abuse, and only the bishops are responsible for the cover up, which is the real scandal.
2.3.2011 | 11:02am
Daniel says:
Leftists are famous for the origination and implementation of "political correctness".
When some reality doesn't fit your approved worldview.....it must be silenced(Christine).
And how exactly would you spin the contents of the post?
The article quoted speaks for itself. If it presents a reality you're not prepared to deal with......I don't care.
When some reality doesn't fit your approved worldview.....it must be silenced(Christine).
And how exactly would you spin the contents of the post?
The article quoted speaks for itself. If it presents a reality you're not prepared to deal with......I don't care.
2.3.2011 | 11:27am
Michael says:
Ah, I see. Only leftists object “when some reality doesn't fit your approved worldview.” Since Christine objects, she must be a leftist.
The other option is to apologize to Christine for jumping to conclusions and to explain why you thought the graphic details were appropriate and why you think that your original post was true to reality rather than being racist.
I wonder which route you’ll choose.
The other option is to apologize to Christine for jumping to conclusions and to explain why you thought the graphic details were appropriate and why you think that your original post was true to reality rather than being racist.
I wonder which route you’ll choose.
2.3.2011 | 1:37pm
Gil says:
Scott W,
You hit a sensitive spot in me when you wrote, "I would caution readers that public interest/social justice groups are notorious for grossly exaggerating their numbers so as to rally attention to their cause. As an academic, I find that unhelpful, and as a Christian, I view it as a willful lie." This accusation requires of any responsible academic to provide evidence, otherwise it is willful vilification. And be clear that your accusation was a blanket indictment of all public interest/social justice groups that provide information concerning the criminal justice system.
You hit a sensitive spot in me when you wrote, "I would caution readers that public interest/social justice groups are notorious for grossly exaggerating their numbers so as to rally attention to their cause. As an academic, I find that unhelpful, and as a Christian, I view it as a willful lie." This accusation requires of any responsible academic to provide evidence, otherwise it is willful vilification. And be clear that your accusation was a blanket indictment of all public interest/social justice groups that provide information concerning the criminal justice system.
2.3.2011 | 2:40pm
Brutus says:
It's always hazardous to think you speak for the "man on the street," but among my acquaintances, relatives, and the unswept cellars of my psyche, the vague sentiments and unspoken assumptions on the subject amount to the following:
By and large, the American legal system offers no punishments adequate to the crimes for which they are meted out. Whether by the brevity of the terms themselves, the frequency of parole, or the options taken off the table from the beginning, legally prescribed penalties are grossly, irresponsibly lenient. Legal justice is to many Americans what the ruble was to 1990s Russians: a polite, dysfunctional fiction, risibly supposed to do work that is only ever ACTUALLY done in the shadows.
In this view, lawlessness behind bars contains the only (however chaotic and maladministered) possibilities of condign retribution. To citizens who (however hazily) subscribe to this view, a prison in which extralegal abuses upon prisoners were eliminated or drastically curtailed would be a prison in which a fundamentally broken, criminal-friendly legal system would have the complete and final word.
(Again, take all this unscientific pulse-taking for what it's worth.)
There are a TON of devastating retorts one could make to such assumptions, and a lot of problems with the results of such assumptions (as we see in Joe Carter's essay). But the willingness of many Americans to abide by prison abuses may have rationales that would-be reformers do poorly to ignore, or to dismiss.
By and large, the American legal system offers no punishments adequate to the crimes for which they are meted out. Whether by the brevity of the terms themselves, the frequency of parole, or the options taken off the table from the beginning, legally prescribed penalties are grossly, irresponsibly lenient. Legal justice is to many Americans what the ruble was to 1990s Russians: a polite, dysfunctional fiction, risibly supposed to do work that is only ever ACTUALLY done in the shadows.
In this view, lawlessness behind bars contains the only (however chaotic and maladministered) possibilities of condign retribution. To citizens who (however hazily) subscribe to this view, a prison in which extralegal abuses upon prisoners were eliminated or drastically curtailed would be a prison in which a fundamentally broken, criminal-friendly legal system would have the complete and final word.
(Again, take all this unscientific pulse-taking for what it's worth.)
There are a TON of devastating retorts one could make to such assumptions, and a lot of problems with the results of such assumptions (as we see in Joe Carter's essay). But the willingness of many Americans to abide by prison abuses may have rationales that would-be reformers do poorly to ignore, or to dismiss.
4.13.2011 | 11:07am
Marion says:
It's refreshing and surprising to find some common ground between Joe Carter and myself - a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage Jewish feminist.
Prison rape is a horrible human rights abuse and all people of good will ought to be appalled by it, supporting organizations that provide legal representation and psychological support to the victims, and actively pursuing humane alternatives to the prision industrial complex that abets this horror.
An end to the racist and counterproductive so-called "War on Drugs' would be helpful, as it fuels overcrowding and inhumane conditions in our prisons.
Prison rape is a horrible human rights abuse and all people of good will ought to be appalled by it, supporting organizations that provide legal representation and psychological support to the victims, and actively pursuing humane alternatives to the prision industrial complex that abets this horror.
An end to the racist and counterproductive so-called "War on Drugs' would be helpful, as it fuels overcrowding and inhumane conditions in our prisons.
7.27.2011 | 3:35pm
Orce Kristina says:
To answer tyour question, "But how can we be indifferent and silent when, as reports by the National Prison Rape Commission continue to show, rape and other forms of sexual assault are becoming endemic to our prison system?", I would say it is because we all like to believe that somehow, those in prison (the bad guys) are essentially different from those of us on the outside (the good guys), and if the bad guys want to do such things to each other, that's no concern of ours, and besides, they probably deserve it. Daniel, like Christine, Im not objecting to the facts presented but to your distorted interpretation of them. And your distortions continue in your assumptions about who Christine is. What makes you think she is leftist? Are leftists famous for their denunciations of graphic descriptions or of prurience? The usual stereotype paints liberals as indifferent to or embracing graphic and prurient descriptions of sex, a stereotype which ignores liberals like Tipper Gore.
8.22.2011 | 2:38am
Raquel Husul says:
To answer tyour question, "But how can we be indifferent and silent when, as reports by the National Prison Rape Commission continue to show, rape and other forms of sexual assault are becoming endemic to our prison system?", I would say it is because we all like to believe that somehow, those in prison (the bad guys) are essentially different from those of us on the outside (the good guys), and if the bad guys want to do such things to each other, that's no concern of ours, and besides, they probably deserve it. While I've never served prison time, penological studies have found on numerous occasions that prison rape is highly common....particularly minority on white rape.
However, there are exceptions that have become the practice for initiation into
prison life. Sometimes the rape is condoned by prison authorities to "break-in" and subjugate newbies or recalcitrant offenders. Sometimes the rapists are from the authorities. No law nor penalty can be enough to deter rapes in prison. These are ingrained in the penal culture. Some look ath the rapes as part and parcel of the service of sentence...