Plight of the Punks: Male Prison Rape in the United States

Blog post asserting that “prison rape reaches far beyond the concrete and barbed-wiring of American prisons. It is rooted in overcrowded prisons, where ineffectual staff participate in a prison culture that values only power obtained through violence. First-time offenders are the most likely to victimized, initiating them into a pattern of violence and psychopathology that they carry back with them upon release. Medical, mental health, and recidivism costs related to prison rape burden the American taxpayers. HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases spread from within the prison walls to the outside world. The practice adds an extra, hidden punishment to the sentences of the most vulnerable criminals, undermining the validity of our justice system.” The author ultimately concludes that “we must move beyond the simple numbers game of the Prison Rape Elimination Act and take a serious look at the values that inform our ideas about crime and rehabilitation.”