Prison Rape: An American Institution?: An American Institution?

by Michael Singer

Overview

Each year, as many as 200,000 individuals are victims of various types of sexual abuse perpetrated in American prisons, jails, juvenile detention facilities, and lockups. As many as 80,000 of them suffer violent or repeated rape. Those who are outside the incarceration experience are largely unaware of this ongoing physical and mental damage—abuses that not only affect the victims and perpetrators, but also impose vast costs on society as a whole. This book supplies a uniquely full account of this widespread sexual abuse problem.

Author Michael Singer has drawn on official reports to provide a realistic assessment of the staggering financial cost to society of this sexual abuse, and comprehensively addressed the current, severely limited legal procedures for combating sexual abuse in incarceration. The book also provides an evaluation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 and its recently announced national standards, and assesses their likely future impact on the institution of prison rape in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440802720
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/20/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	195
File size:	549 KB

About the Author

Michael Singer, MA, PhD, JD, is professor at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London, England.

What People are Saying About This

Bryan A. Stevenson

"This is an outstanding work that illuminates a terrifying problem in American jails and prisons that merits more attention and discussion that this well-researched book finally provides."

Cindy Struckman-Johnson

"With singular clarity, Michael Singer reviews the Department of Justice's efforts to bring about desperately needed reforms to address prison rape in American prisons. He is similarly adept in reviewing prisoners' constitutional protections and legal obstacles in seeking redress for prison rape. Throughout the book, Singer interweaves the documented testimony of men and women who have experienced prison rape.

The book leads up to an elucidation of the national standards to eliminate prison rape released by the US attorney general in 2012. While praising the content of these standards, Singer raises disturbing concerns about the DOJ's true commitment to ending prison rape.

This book is a must-read for those in the public, corrections, the legal system, human rights, and academe who desire to bring an end to rape in American prisons."

Mary Sigler

"Michael Singer has produced an essential primer on prison rape in the United States, exploring the empirical, legal, and socio-cultural dimensions of the phenomenon. He elegantly combines technical detail with the human element, moving seamlessly between the social science research that documents the magnitude of the problem and the heartbreaking stories of individual victims that underscore its urgency. In a country that prides itself on its commitment to justice, Singer suggests, the persistence of prison rape is an ongoing source of national shame. This accessible account is an invaluable resource for scholars, policy makers, and anyone interested in prison reform."