I am writing this week on prison rape. While many of you may snicker, please understand the gravity of this as a social concern.. Do you remember what Victor Hugo said in Les Miserables about judging a society by its prisons? Well, I hope no one is judging the U.S by this standard. Imagine weighing 120 pounds and being locked into a cell with a 230 pound repeat offender by prison guards on purpose. Imagine being told by guards to "take it like a man." You wouldn’t have to imagine if you were in a California Prison.

Imagine refusing to submit to sex and being beaten by a lock so severely that the word "Master" was left indented on your forehead. Imagine lodging several complaints only to be told by prison officials to resolve your "lover’s quarrel."

Imagine being 17 years old and being sentenced to 8 years in prison for setting a trash can on fire! (in Texas) In prison you are the victim of multiple rapes. Imagine asking for help, filing multiple grievances, getting medical documentation, only to be told over and over again that you had no proof of being raped. That 17 year old choose to commit suicide.

A 1996 survey of Nebraska prisons reported that 22 percent of prisoners reported having experienced forced sexual contact, most of them having submitted to forced anal sex. But the Nebraska state government wasn’t telling you that because most states just don’t keep records of these events. If you asked some state officials how many rapes happened in their prisons most would answer: 0.

There are over 2 million Americans incarcerated today. Now think about that 22 percent.If you’re interested in the issue and want to learn more, the Human Rights Watch report is out online and the New York Times carried an article on the subject on April 15. But better yet you can watch two clips of Gabriel London’s documentary at hrw.org/reports/2001/prison/video.html and check out his website at www.gabrielfilms.com/prisonrapefilm (created by Jon Vanasco ’00).

The sites include clips, stories, and documents. Especially hard-hitting will be those documenting the tragedy of the 17 year old Texan.