U.S. House of Representatives Hold Hearings on Sexual Violence in Youth Detention Facilities

“The American Civil Liberties Union urges members of Congress to support H.R. 4335, the Prison Abuse Remedies Act of 2009 (PARA), which removes barriers to justice for victims of sexual and other abuses in prison, jail and juvenile detention put in place by the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA). The ACLU also calls on the Justice Department to finalize the standards recommended in June 2009 by a national bipartisan commission authorized by the Prison Rape Elimination Act to end sexual abuse behind bars. A Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that an estimated 12 percent of youths in detention reported being sexually abused one or more times within the past year, with the majority of those assaults committed by a facility staff member. Under PLRA, victims of such abuse are effectively prevented from seeking justice and protection from the federal courts. Although the PLRA was originally intended to reduce frivolous lawsuits in federal court, certain provisions of the law are instead used to deny justice to victims of rape, assault, religious rights violations and other serious abuses. PARA would protect detained juveniles by exempting children under the age of 18 from the nearly insurmountable legal and procedural hurdles created by the PLRA.”