Read and answer the questions - Assignment Example

Insert Introduction Prison rape refers to rape that takes place in prison, taking mainly the form of rape of inmates by other inmates and less commonly, the rape of inmates by member(s) of the staff or the rape of staff member(s) by inmates. A report attributed to the United States Department of Justice showed that between 2011 and 2012, about 3.2 of jail inmates and 4% of federal and state prison inmates have experienced at least an incident of sexual victimization at the hands of a facility staff or fellow inmate, since they were admitted to the facility, or within a span of 12 months.

Nevertheless, experts such as Singer postulate that the matter is graver than the statistics point, since the report does not factor rape in juvenile prison, yet sexual assault is rife among juveniles, due to their relatively limited physical strength which adds to their vulnerability (Singer, 75). Because of the prevalence of prison rape, it is important that corrective measures are taken. The first and most important form of deterrence is legislation. The Prison Rape Elimination Act, 2003 (PREA; Public Law 108-79) mandates the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to execute comprehensive statistical analyses and review of prison rape incidences and their effects, in every calendar year.

This provision is binding on all juvenile facilities, jails, prisons, military facilities, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Indian country facilities. This approach increases awareness. With increased awareness, come correctional and preventative measures. The crux of the matter herein is that before the passage and effecting of the PREA Act 2003, there had not been any data collection on the same. Again, the PREA Act 2003 can be amended to observe safety measures for inmates. This may include: isolating offenders from those with clean records or the seemingly vulnerable; keeping a record on these incidences; encouraging forums in which victims may report such incidences; and having all prisons in the land to conform to this injunction.

Conversely, the government and the civil society sector can work together to raise public awareness on the same. It is when public awareness has been raised that solutions to a problem can be comprehensively sought. Works CitedSinger, Michael. Prison Rape: An American Institution? California: Acid-Free Paper Inc., 2013. Print