"The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly those who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, border on the unimaginable. Prison rape not only threatens the lives of those who fall prey to their aggressors, but it is potentially devastating to the human spirit. Shame, depression, and a shattering loss of self-esteem accompany the perpetual terror the victim thereafter must endure."
-- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Farmer v. Brennan
'Relax Your Muscles as Much as Possible' By Vin Suprynowicz
More than half of all federal inmates are now nonviolent drug inmates.
What's life like in our prisons for those nonviolent drug inmates? Let's steel our nerves and go visit the Web site
Just Detention International, has posted the little plain-talking handbill it has prepared for young men entering our prison system, titled "For Prisoners: Advice on Avoiding HIV/AIDS."
The group's handout -- targeted primarily at heterosexual men who have no desire to ever be involved in homosexual activity -- advises:
"HIV/AIDS transmission during a sexual assault is a serious concern. The following are practical tips for reducing your risk. ...
"If you have a choice, try to avoid men who used needles for drugs in the past or are still doing so. ... The more often you are raped, the more exposed you will be, so especially try to avoid anal gang-bangs. The most dangerous situation of all is if your anus is bleeding, for that allows easy entry of the virus into your bloodstream. So try to use a lubricant or grease or cream if you can to minimize injury to your delicate internal body parts, avoid anal gang-bangs, and if you must endure forced anal penetration, try to relax your muscles as much as possible. These tactics are not 'cooperating' or consenting, they are just common-sense measures to try to save your life.
"In many situations you are better off agreeing to do something (masturbating, oral sex, sex with a condom) rather than just resisting until you are overwhelmed and forced to deal with unprotected anal sex from one or many guys. You may feel you should resist to the end, but that would put your life in danger. There is no shame in doing what you have to do to survive; nothing changes the fact that rape is involved and you are not morally or legally responsible for it; these compromises are just pathways to your survival. It may even be to your advantage to develop skills in oral sex so that guys you have to deal with will be satisfied with that alone. Don't feel guilty about it; you're just trying to save your life...."
Feeling pretty comfortable now with what the legal system is doing to these nonviolent pot-smokers in your name? (And those are just the ones who end up doing hard time, mind you. Remember,
872,721 marijuana arrests in 2007 Inhaling or Not
. Do you suppose most of them had a nice, restful night in jail? Do you realize, if their families spent a few thousand dollars apiece on legal fees, that adds up to more than a billion dollars, and taxpayer costs for lost police time are several times that?
"Human Rights Watch has documented abominable conditions for children in detention in countries around the world. In the United States (Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, and Maryland), Pakistan, Jamaica, among other countries, children are subjected to excessive force, inadequate medical and mental health care, and are provided with little or no education. Often, these children are placed in the facilities along side adults, exposing them to physical and sexual abuse."
-- Human Rights Watch
Just Detention International previously "Stop Prisoner Rape"
updated 11/2008