Rape in prisons refers the rape of inmates by other inmates. Recently, rape cases have been on the rise in many American prisons. Rape in prisons has turned out to be a culture, but still the officials in this field have not fully addressed the matter. The act is seriously inhuman, and it should be stopped at all costs. Research shows that rape cases take place about twice per week in Arkansas State penitentiary, in the United States (Casella & Ridgeway, 2010). This is only an overview of the matter. In other prisons, the matter of rape is more severe with at least five cases reported on a weekly basis. It is the duty and obligation of the prison staff to stop this behavior. The act is inhuman, and it also violates the rights of the person being raped. Therefore, the correctional staff should make it their first priority to ease the cases.
There are many situations that could cause these brutal cases. When a person is locked away for a long time, he or she will miss the urge of being satisfied sexually (Casella & Ridgeway, 2010). This is a prime cause of rape. Hence, the person who misses this satisfaction will want to fulfill it on his or her fellow inmate. A second cause might be the harsh treatment that inmates receive from the prison wardens. A person who is mistreated by a prison warden will want to covey his or her frustrations to another person. Therefore, he or she takes it out on a fellow inmate. Another significant cause is also the grudges that inmates hold. Hence, the stronger person might decide to rape his or her fellow inmate as a way of punishment.
The case of Michelle Ortiz is an example of a prison rape case. It took place at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Even though, the case went to court, it was, however, never resolved. The case of the Farmer known as Brennan is also a prison rape example (Gilligan, 2008). The case of Brennan was, however, resolved in the court, and he was compensated. In conclusion, these cases should be stopped at all costs. This is because it is inhuman for a person to endure that act of rape and they should be protected from it.
References
Casella, J., & Ridgeway, J. (2010). Prisoner sent to solitary for reporting rape takes her case to the Supreme Court. NP. Retrieved from http://solitarywatch.com/2010/11/02/prisoner-sent-to-solitary-for-reporting-rape-takes-her-case-to-the-supreme-court/
Gilligan, J. (2008). Violence: Reflections on a national epidemic. New York: Vintage press
