The email read, “Here’s a picture of the convicted IL governor’s first night in prison of his 14 year sentence. Gosh! They make a handsome couple!”
As those who have followed my 1990’s political career, my social conscious cause of that decade was stopping rape in prison.
The latest newsletter from Just Detention International, which used to be called Stop Prison Rape, has the headline you see below:
Joking may have ended at the prison, but the cartoon above indicates that those on the outside still joke about rape in prison.
In 2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed.
Unanimous consent.
President George W. Bush signed the bill.
A commission was formed which held hearings and made recommendations.
These were submitted to the United States Department of Justice.
Regulations were put out for public comment. People, including yours truly, did so.
Since then, President Barack Obama’s Justice Department has done nothing.
The regulations were supposed to have been issued by Eric Holder last summer.
One of the Congressmen who pushed the bill through the House, Frank Wolf (R-VA), commented,
“I’ve talked to people who have been raped in prison. [PREA] passed in 2003.
“It was signed by President Bush.
“This was one of the few times I ever went to the Oval Office for a bill signing — because I cared about it. That’s nine years.
“There have been a lot of bad things that have happened to a lot of people during that period of time.
“We really have to finish this thing.”
I know nothing counts for the White House but winning the next election, but it’s time to promulgate the regulations.
And it’s time to stop joking about rape in prison.
And, no, this is not an April Fool’s joke.