Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

―emergency grievance criteria‖, therefore they are denied protective custody and remain subject to rape.
In turn, the rapes continue, and the victim‘s likelihood of contracting HIV is severely heightened (Arthur,
Davis, Herman)
―In 1997 approximately 18,000 inmates were infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, making.
Between 1991 and 1993 one in three deaths were attributed to AIDS-related causes, compared to one in
ten outside the penitentiary‖ (Cronan). Making the situation worse is the lack of preventative measures.
There is close to nothing being done to educate prisoners of the harsh realities of the spread of
HIV/AIDS. The penal facilities are aware of the abuse going on yet refuse to implement reduction devices
such as condoms, and clean needles.
Implementing such devices could help eliminate the virus from within U.S. prisons. If the inmates
were aware of the extent to which the deadly virus is spreading, then maybe they would be less likely to
rape a potential victim. Educated people would not knowingly infect themselves with a deadly virus, and
if condoms were available it would prevent the disease from further spreading. Condoms may or may not
persuade inmates to rape, but if you can‘t prevent the inevitable at least you can protect the victims.
Simply adding such preventative measure could help decrease the rates of HIV/AIDS related deaths.
Brutal rapes that occur within prison can take their toll on any man, physically and mentally. If
the victim is does not contract a disease and die from that, or is ―shanked‖ (stabbed) in retaliation for
snitching, then suicide is next on the list. Human Rights Watch conducted a survey which relayed a
shocking result. The survey showed that, out of the nineteen willing inmates surveyed, all have tried to
commit suicide and many more considered it as an option (Mariner, Joanne). Still not accounted for are
the rapes that are not reported. Several inmates are too embarrassed to come forth so the incident never
gets documented. If the situation is not addressed the bottled up anger can be a ticking time bomb.
Unfortunately, at the end of that short fuse is suicide.
Suicide ranks third as cause of death in prison; the origin of the suicides are expected to be caused
by some form of abuse. ―From 1984 to 1993, the rate of prison suicide was more than 50 percent higher
than the national average outside of prison‖ (Cronan). Although the data is old the numbers are still
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