A new government report on the rate of sexual victimization in America’s jails and prisons lists the State of Colorado’s Denver Women’s Correctional Facility as having the highest rate of sexual assault and misconduct by staff of any facility in the nation.
The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics’ survey of more than 92,000 inmates housed in state and federal jails and prisons. The overall rate of prisoners who claim to have been subjected to sexual assault or misconduct hovers around 4 percent; for incidents perpetrated by staff rather than other inmates, it’s around 2.4 percent. It is likely that these percentage are low because of underreporting and fear of retribution.
New Mexico has also had many victims in our jails and prisons.
Sexual assault is never acceptable, and it’s especially unacceptable to victimize women in jails and prisons who are defenseless against others.
Prisons and jails could stem the sexual assaults of inmates if they would stop “gender-neutral” staffing policies, which often put male guards in charge of female prisoners. Facilities in New Mexico frequently put male guards in charge of female inmates, and sexual assaults are likely higher than they otherwise would be.
McGraw Law & Associates cares about the safety of everyone, including vulnerable female inmates in our State’s jails and prisons. If you or someone you know has been a victim inside the prison or jail system, a civil rights lawyer or personal injury lawyer should be contacted immediately.
You can contact McGraw Law & Associates at (575) 323-1529
Las Cruces, NM