| Purpose: |
Despite numerous clear pronouncements from the federal courts that prisoner rape is constitutionally unacceptable, sexual abuse of inmates continues to be a serious and largely unaddressed problem in U.S. prisons and jails. The October 2001 conference entitled “Not Part of the Penalty: Ending Prisoner Rape” – held under the auspices of the ACLU National Prison Project, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Interlock Media, Stop Prisoner Rape and the Washington College of Law – was the first ever to focus on this appalling human rights violation. Activists, rape survivors, lawyers, academic experts, public health specialists, and others debated the issues and strategized about moving forward.
Though designed to build on the success of the conference, this listserv is open to all. Addressing both prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse and custodial sexual misconduct (sexual abuse of prisoners by guards and other custodial staff), the listserv will serve as a venue for sharing materials and informing participants of ongoing developments.
This listserv is sponsored by the ACLU National Prison Project, Human Rights Watch, and Just Detention International. The material circulated does not necessarily represent the views of the organizational sponsors of the listserv. |
