WA: Rape and Sexual Assault at Women’s Prison
February 13, 2008 - 11:42am
Four women incarcerated at the Washington State Corrections Center for Women in Purdy are suing the Department of Corrections after experiencing sexual misconduct, assault and rape at the prison. According to one of the attorneys for the women, the abuse her clients describe is, “Just the tip of the iceberg.” Women at the prison have reported sexual abuse since 2005, but most their reports stayed in filing cabinets in the prison.
Because of the lawsuit, former Corrections Secretary Harold Clarke hired consultants to look into the Department of Correction’s practices and policies around rape and sexual assault. The consultants’ reports pointed to many problems in the system including: reports of abuse are investigated by corrections staff, many parts of the prison lack cameras, and many male officers are assigned to women’s housing units (56 of the 178 guards at Purdy are women).
Other problems create a climate of retribution which discourages reporting abuse. When a report is made, the prisoner is forced to take a lie detector test, but the guard is not. Forcing someone who is reporting sexual abuse or rape to take a lie detector test is unheard of in the community. Also, if a prisoner calls the state’s abuse hotline number, he or she is first told that she may be prosecuted if the complaint is not substantiated and anonymous reporting is not permitted.
Since the lawsuit was filed, many other women come forward to report sexual abuse in Washington’s prison including women at the Pine Lodge and Mission Creek prisons. The new Secretary of Corrections, Eldon Vail, says the Washington State Patrol will investigate future reports of rape and more cameras will be installed at Purdy.
This news brief is based on a story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, State announces steps to protect female prisoners, and a report from KUOW, Prison chief responds to rape allegations. If the links are broken, check the websites' archives.
Because of the lawsuit, former Corrections Secretary Harold Clarke hired consultants to look into the Department of Correction’s practices and policies around rape and sexual assault. The consultants’ reports pointed to many problems in the system including: reports of abuse are investigated by corrections staff, many parts of the prison lack cameras, and many male officers are assigned to women’s housing units (56 of the 178 guards at Purdy are women).
Other problems create a climate of retribution which discourages reporting abuse. When a report is made, the prisoner is forced to take a lie detector test, but the guard is not. Forcing someone who is reporting sexual abuse or rape to take a lie detector test is unheard of in the community. Also, if a prisoner calls the state’s abuse hotline number, he or she is first told that she may be prosecuted if the complaint is not substantiated and anonymous reporting is not permitted.
Since the lawsuit was filed, many other women come forward to report sexual abuse in Washington’s prison including women at the Pine Lodge and Mission Creek prisons. The new Secretary of Corrections, Eldon Vail, says the Washington State Patrol will investigate future reports of rape and more cameras will be installed at Purdy.
This news brief is based on a story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, State announces steps to protect female prisoners, and a report from KUOW, Prison chief responds to rape allegations. If the links are broken, check the websites' archives.
