http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXmLIfbSYQYI specifically started to look at male rape in society, but ended up focusing on the prison system, because it was so convoluted. What I found out about male rape in America really blew my mind. How prevalent it was. Even within the army.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009716522_militaryrape23m.html[quote]"This is not a 'woman' problem," said Mountjoy-Pepka. A little more than half of military sexual-trauma victims are men, mostly because they make up a majority of veterans, according to the VA.[/quote]
More men get raped inside of American Prisons, then women get raped on the outside. Not to say that women do not get raped in prison, because they do, but this should give you an idea of how far spread male rape is in America.
I also discovered that prisoners are 4-7 times more likely to be HIV positive then the rest of the general population.
There was one prison where one third of the population was HIV positive. 737 men or something like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTjBk6A_zfQThe scary part about the rapes is they had been going on for years and were just an accepted part of society. Eg. The stupid late night talk shows, it's seen as just a part of prison life, but it's really no laughing matter.
People don't just get raped in prison. They also get raped in the jails. Even if they are just staying their for one night it can happen.
[quote]
http://www.cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nprec/20090820154823/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202975.htmlInstead, political protesters, people accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and substance abusers have shared harrowing incidents of rape while in custody, sometimes while spending only one night behind bars. “This is something that could happen to a kid who has no priors and who happens to make a mistake,” Smith added.
[/quote]
One article suggested that maybe up to half the men in jail are having male on male sex, in many cases unwillingly, or for protecting, taking on protective pairings.
Getting turned out is quite common as is sexual slavery. Getting turned out means getting raped, be it physically or psychologically into performing sexual acts on other men. Sexual salvery is just that, being owned and passed and sold for sex to other men.
Men who are slight build, effeminate looking, gay, white, or just young, jail and prison are not the place to be. Even if you are big and strong it can happen. Even if you are a leader of a group or movement makes little difference. (Segregation options for the protection of these men should be looked into.)
http://www.cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nprec/20090820154816/http://nprec.us/publication/I was surprised at how much it had been covered up over the years, and the main reason it had continued was due to the indifference of the wardens, and those in charge of the prisons.
A lot of the men who are getting raped commit suicide, many go on to become HIV positive, other become violent, many have psychological issues.
The rapists get off Scott free, and they go back out into our communities eventually, some will likely rape again. The men who get attacked also go back out into the community. Many with issues, some unable to work, some who will also rape as a way to get their power back.
The HIV and other diseases are being spread back into the outside world do to prison releases and lack of testing, and treatment. Eg. Black women in the U.S. are one of the fastest growing groups for HIV, and the contributing factor is likely the men they come in contact with, who have been in the prisons.
http://gangstalking.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/male-rape-part-6/I read story after story after story. It was horrible. No one should have to go through this. After natural causes, then AIDS, suicide is the third leading cause of death, and a lot of the times it's by men who have been raped. I read so many stories of men who had tried to kill themselves after a rape and then survived and did not know what to do after, because they were put back out to be gang raped, repeatedly again. It was horrible. Some of these man ended up choosing a protecting pairing, which means that they choose to have a man protect them, and in exchange provide sexual services. Previous to this I might have judged these men harshly, but after reading the stories I can't judge and I feel sorry that anyone should have to go through that.
The ones who do come forward to press charges are mocked and ridiculed and told that it's their fault, or that they should take care of their own business, or that they were willing, it's disgusting how the Powers that be, tried to cover this up, over and over and over again.
Others are forced to commit acts of violence which in some cases lead to them spending life in prison, just to try to avoid getting raped.
After Human Rights Watch stepped in and interviewed the men, and while working with other groups, they were able to get the Rape Elimination Act passed in 2003, decades after such a law should have been in place. Then in June of 2009, the recommendations from that report came out, and it's here if you want to read it.
http://www.cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nprec/20090820154816/http://nprec.us/publication/What also surprised me in looking into the issue is that it's systemic, and has been for years. It's an open secret, well not so secret, but it was covered up, just like many other things in society. They tried to make it look like it was not that bad, or that the men were willingly having sex, and just crying rape. That's not the case.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/piusp01.pdfIf the prison rates continue, it's estimated that About 1 in 3 black males, 1 in 6. Hispanic males, and 1 in 17 white males are expected to go to these prisons jails at some point in their lifetimes. Think about that.1 in 31 U.S. adults had served time in prison.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29469360/[quote]The Pew Center on the States report, released Monday, says the number of people on probation or parole nearly doubled to more than 5 million between 1982 and 2007. Including jail and prison inmates, the total population of the U.S. corrections system now exceeds 7.3 million — one of every 31 U.S. adults, it said.[/quote]
When I looked into this it was pretty gritty, but it was important because not only is injustice anywhere injustice everywhere, but these people are brothers, husbands, sons, uncles, nephews, cousins, and many are non violent offenders. People were going to jail for political protests, and getting raped, and minor things like DUI. Drinking and getting drunk then driving is wrong, but getting raped for it is also really wrong. I was surprised by what I learnt when I really look into this. It's such a wide topic, and will the recommendations of Human Rights Watch ever been truly implemented? I want to watch and see what happens over the next year, since the recommendations only came out in June of this year.
[quote]
http://www.cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nprec/20090820154823/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202975.htmlInstead, political protesters, people accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and substance abusers have shared harrowing incidents of rape while in custody, sometimes while spending only one night behind bars. “This is something that could happen to a kid who has no priors and who happens to make a mistake,” Smith added.[/quote]
What is clear to me is that the average person sitting back with their heads in the sand saying this will never affect them should not do so. If you are American then this could affect you or someone you know. 1 in 31 US adults had some experience of prison, and that could increase to 1 in 15 if trends continue.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/aug/19/usa.garyyounge[quote]By the end of 2001 one in every 37 Americans had some experience of prison, compared with one in 53 in 1974. Continuing at that rate, the proportion will increase to one in every 15 of those born in 2001.[/quote]
If you don't go to prison or jail, you could actually know someone who does, and think about the risks that they could be exposed to, even if it's just one night in jail. Think of when these men get out of jail, both the perpetrators and the victims of this crime, and if untreated, or unpunished, think of the ramifications that society will face.
I went in somewhat naive about the issue, but what I do know now is that this is not just an issue for those on the inside of these jails and prisons, it's an issue for the Americans outside of these walls. Every year 650,000 will get released from jails and prisons.
http://www.reentry.gov/[quote]Nearly 650,000 people are released from state and federal prison yearly and arrive on the doorsteps of communities nationwide. A far greater number reenter communities from local jails, and for many offenders and /defendants, this may occur multiple times in a year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) over 50 percent of those released from incarceration will be in some form of legal trouble within 3 years.[/quote]
Some will re offend again, yes some will rape and commit other crimes. Some will have diseases, some psychological issues that need to be dealt with. Harsh prison stays do not guarantee that people will not go back to jail or prison, or that they will learn some kind of lesson, all it does is create individuals that upon release from these places, who will educate society about the lessons that they have learnt. If those lessons are that it's ok to rape young effeminate looking men, then your daughters, sons, might be at risk. Their younger family members might be at risk. For the ones that do get raped, they may commit suicide, be ill within the community, they may feel a need to rape to regain their power that was taken, they may do other psychologically disruptive acts within the community.
It's important that people realise that what is happening in these prisons is not staying there, it goes beyond those walls, and it affects and is causing sometimes grave dissonant ripples within society, upon release of these men back into society.
The best way to stop the negative effects is to stop some of what is happening.
My number one recommendation is ending the war on drugs. The war on drugs is the main contributor to the over crowding in those jails, if the war ends, much of the over crowding will end.
If overcrowding ends, then prison staff have a better chance of being responsive to what they are suppose to be responsive to. Also more focus could then be placed on hiring guards who actually want to stop prison rape, instead of just covering it up.
If you stop the rapes in prison, it will cut down on some of the HIV, other diseases, suicides, etc.
When the men are released, they will have less psychological issues to pass on to the rest of society, less diseases, and if they get proper help to reenter society, less chances of them re-offending and going back to jail.
This war on drugs has had a terrible toll on American society. I really never knew much about the war on drugs. I knew it was there, I believed people who did drugs got what they deserved, (I was deeply wrong, since reading their stories, I see now, and apologize.) they don't deserve these prison stays. The conditions within prisons were always bad, the war on drugs has made it worst.
Rapes in prison do not have to be, they can stop, but you have to have people who give a damn first, that is the greatest contributing factor towards wither this get's stopped or not.
Also the war on drugs is a failure.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-francis/americas-war-on-drugs-a-f_b_188269.html[quote]The issue involves America's foolish and expensive War on Drugs which has not worked and threatens to ruin Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador as it has ruined Colombia.
The issue was articulated this week at the World Economic Forum confab in Rio de Janeiro when Columbia's former president made an impassioned appeal for leaders in Latin America to condemn the U.S. War on Drugs because it threatens the stability of many countries in the hemisphere.
Canada is also increasingly harmed by America's vast appetite for drugs, with cartels infesting the country which is a transshipment nation for narcotics. There are increasing numbers of gangland slayings in Vancouver, for instance, and the proliferation of "grow ops" across the country which are producing high-grade marijuana for export. While worrisome in Canada, the American prohibition against drugs, and failure to address the underlying causes, are devastating to the Caribbean and Latin America.[/quote]
I also read that more people are using drugs than were using drugs before such as marijuana and cocaine in America. So if the war on drugs has failed, then why not end it? Oh I am not naive enough to believe that legalized drugs would be a good idea for any society. I am anti drugs and so I will stay, but after doing the research, I do now think it's time to decriminalize these drugs. I have felt this way for some time since doing the research and believe that Mexico made the right move for it's society and I think America and other countries would benefit from taking similar actions.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/08/200982118315790550.html[quote]Friday, August 21, 2009
Mexico relaxes drug possession lawsThe law is designed to focus the Mexican authorities' attention on drug producers [EPA]
Mexico has decriminalised the possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin and marijuana, as part of an attempt to focus a police crackdown on drug producers and traffickers.
The new law, which also covers LSD and methamphetamine possession, will also offer addicts free treatment, in order to tackle the domestic demand for drugs.
"This [new law] is not legalisation, this is regulating the issue and giving citizens greater legal certainty,'' Bernardo Espino del Castillo of the attorney-general's office, said.[/quote]
What I am suggesting is not shocking, the White House's drug czar has been looking into this notion.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124225891527617397.html[quote]WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting "a war on drugs," a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use.
In his first interview since being confirmed to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday the bellicose analogy was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues.
"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."[/quote]
Not only do I think they need to end the war on drugs, and take steps similar to what Mexico just did, but a lot of these men and women in jail, should be released for the drug possession that they are in jail for.
http://www.november.org/thewall/wall/wall.htmlVisit the wall and read the stories. Some do not belong there for the crimes they were placed there for, and the crimes does not suit the time that was given in many cases.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pptmc.htmAmerican children are suffering,
[quote] * The nation?s prisons held approximately 744,200 fathers and 65,600 mothers at midyear 2007. * Parents held in the nation?s prisons?52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmates?reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children, accounting for 2.3% of the U.S. resident population under age 18. * Growth in the number of parents held in state and federal prisons was outpaced by the growth in the nation?s prison population between 1991 and midyear 2007.[/quote]
My research over the last few years in the Gang Stalking phenomenon, branched out into so many other areas. It allowed me a glimpse into the informant system, which lead to the stories of some of the prisoners who did not choose to become informants, and now I was able to have a deeper look at some of the conditions that some of these prisoners suffer. I understand that things are also grim in these women's prisons, and after these people come out of the jails and prisons, they are still vulnerable for exploitation in many cases.
Many of these issues I looked into could be traced back to the war on drugs, and it branched out to create a lot of problems for the society it was designed to protect. I no longer believe that the war on drugs is what it was proposed to be, I don't think it was used for what Americans thought it was going to be used for. Instead it was used to enslave many into becoming informants, and in turn those were used to enslave others.
The ones that did become informants went back into many of those communities and committed worst crimes for which their were no punishments, while still selling drugs withing those communities, and corrupting those communities into the crime havens of today.
Some who choose to not be informants went to jail, which caused over crowding, and made harsh conditions even worst. Within those jails horrific things happened, including the issues of rape, which has been discussed.
Those in jail will someday be released back into these communities and the rest of society, and because many of the psychological issues acquired in prison are not dealt with the community will deal with these issues. Many others in jail learn that rape and violence against others is ok, and that it will not be punished, they even brag about the rapes, the conquests, and they take these attitudes back into these communities, where the general public reside.
The war on drugs, male rape, rapes in prisons period, it's all part of a cycle, and though you may be lucky enough to escape it, with 1 in 31 in jail, or having passed through the prison system, someone you know might not, be it from going to jail, or encountering one of these individuals released from the jail.
It's in everyone's best interest to see that these conditions change, and that the recommendations are implemented as soon as possible. Just my opinion.
Labels: Black Women, HIV, Human Rights Watch, Male rape, prison rape, psychological issues, society, war on drugs, white males
