"These standards are the culmination of a far-reaching national dialogue that included prison officials, corrections professionals, mental health experts and all other major stakeholders. When implemented they will play a critically important role in helping to eliminate the horror of rape in our nation's prisons," said Margaret Winter, associate project director of the ACLU National Prison Project. "The attorney general should enhance certain standards to ensure adequate protection for especially vulnerable populations that are at heightened risk for being sexually abused in prison, and adopt the commission's recommendations without further delay."

The commission's standards establish crucial protocols for training employees to prevent sexual abuse, reporting and investigating incidents of abuse and providing medical and mental health care for victims.

The modifications sought by the ACLU to enhance the standards include a set of recommendations to better protect the safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) inmates, who are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse in prison. These specific recommendations were submitted in cooperation with the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center and LambdaLegal.

Holder speaks on matter of miranda rights

Attorney General Eric Holder said this weekend that the Obama

administration would seek a new law to loosen the requirement that terrorism suspects be informed of their constitutional rights during interrogation. Holder

made the statements on network news shows Sunday morning, May 9, 2010. According to the ACLU, the proposed legislation

would undermine the Miranda requirement that was ruled to be a constitutional right by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Go Back

Comments