Protecting Youth Behind Bars
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| T.J. Parsell, Author, Filmmaker and Human Rights Activist gives his powerful and personal account of his sexual victimization experience while in prison. |
By Liz Ryan
To highlight the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), landmark legislation signed into law ten years ago this week, the American Bar Association (ABA) convened a panel of experts at the ABA's offices in Washington, D.C to discuss the impact of the law and the challenges in ensuring full implementation. The panel included the Honorable Bobby Scott (D-VA) who was an original cosponsor of the PREA legislation; Mary Lou Leary, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice; T.J. Parsell, Author, Filmmaker and Human Rights Activist; Professor Brenda Smith of the American University's Washington College of Law; and the Honorable Reggie Walton of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Carmen Daugherty, the Vice Chair of the ABA's Individual Rights & Responsibilities Justice Committee and Policy Director for the Campaign for Youth Justice, kicked off the panel discussion by showing a five- minute trailer of a new film created by T.J. Parsell about his experience as a teenager in adult prison. The film clip was a powerful image of the risks youth face when incarcerated in adult jails and prisons. To view the film clip and to read more about T.J.’s story, visit here.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary mentioned the Youthful Inmate Standard as one of the key standards in PREA and that sufficient funding from the Administration was needed to ensure it could be properly enacted. She also indicated that it was crucial that more people apply to serve as auditors to enforce PREA's implementation in the states.
Brenda Smith recounted the major accomplishments of PREA to date, highlighting the fact that it establishes that sexual violence behind bars happens, it is very serious, and it must be addressed. "The PREA law has created a national discourse on the issue," according to Smith. She also underscored some of the challenges ahead such ensuring an appropriate balance between incentives for compliance and accountability. Smith urged advocates to read the standards, educate themselves on the impact of the standards, and to get involved in the work.
Judge Walton, who chaired the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC), closed out the panel saying that "Prison rape is not something that has to be inevitable" and that "Leadership has to come from the top."
For additional information on PREA, visit: