PRISON RAPE: Groundbreaking New U.S. Law

The U.S. Congress has unanimously passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 -- a rare bipartisan action, and an even rarer display of congressional concern for prisoners’ rights. The law authorizes federal grants for programs to prevent and punish prison rape, and would cut federal prison funding for states that do not control the sexual assault of prisoners. The seeds of this victory were planted by HRW researcher Joanne Mariner, who literally wrote the book on prison rape in the United States.