The Myth of PREA Zero Tolerance in Texas Prisons
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“I Don’t Believe You, So You Might as Well Get Used to It”— The Myth of PREA Zero Tolerance in Texas Prisons Texas Prison Abuse Series, Report Number 1 by Trans Pride Initiative July 2018 Dedicated to all of the brave persons who have provided—sometimes at great risk of personal safety—the information and data used to create this report. In solidarity. A brief note about the content: The topics covered in this report are disturbing; many quoted items are extremely graphic and may be triggering for some persons, especially for survivors of abuse. We intentionally included graphic content to more accurately represent the lives, experiences, and ultimately the resilience of the persons with which we correspond. However, we recognize that while more representative, it can also be far more challenging. We would like to emphasize that these narratives represent not only the abuse that is the overall subject of this report, but also represent the resilience of those who penned these words in leters to us. The comments included in this report are from persons who are actively advocating for their rights and for their survival in the incredibly abusive Texas prison system. Many are not only advocating for themselves, but are organizing and advocating for others as well. If you feel triggered or overwhelmed by the content in these pages, please set this aside and return to it when you can. We hope that you fnd this report helpful in understanding the reality of the for- proft retributive prison system in Texas and in the United States in general, but we also want you to take care of yourself frst. These words will still be here when you can return. Trans Pride Initiative Trans Pride Initiative is a Texas nonproft corporation that empowers trans and gender diverse persons to rise above social barriers to equitable healthcare, housing, employment, and education. We work to provide general emotional and social support; guidance and advocacy in expanding access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment services; and strive to advance individual and community rights through prison support and broad anti-violence work. Acknowledgments Trans Pride Initiative would like to acknowledge the many brave persons who have chosen to reach out and tell their stories, and to trust us with those narratives so that we can help advocate for more humane treatment in an incredibly abusive state prison system. Without their honor, their courage, and their willingness to stand up—in spite of almost certain retaliation—for the rights of persons who experience marginalization due to sexual orientation and gender identity, this work would not be possible. For this, we thank all with whom we have had the privilege to correspond, many of whom have truly become a part of our family. You are loved, you are valued. Contact Information Mailing address: Physical location: General Information: 214-449-1439 Trans Pride Initiative 614 West Davis Street, Email: [email protected] P.O. Box 3982 Suite 207 Dallas, Texas 75208 Dallas, Texas 75208 Nell Gaither, President: 214-394-9835 Email: [email protected] The Myth of PREA Zero Tolerance in Texas Prisons iii Contents I. Introduction........................................................................................................................................................1 II. Compliance Concerns.....................................................................................................................................3 PREA Intent.......................................................................................................................................................3 Evidence of Issues in TDCJ Implementation................................................................................................3 Data collection...............................................................................................................................................3 Training and Technical Assistance.............................................................................................................8 Audits..............................................................................................................................................................9 A Note about the Number of Transgender Persons Incarcerated......................................................10 III. Specifc Concerns for LGBTQ Persons......................................................................................................13 Standard 115.11—Zero tolerance of sexual abuse and sexual harassment...........................................13 Standard 115.15—Limits to cross-gender viewing and searches............................................................14 Standard 115.31 Employee training.............................................................................................................16 Standard 115.34 Specialized Training: Investigations..............................................................................17 Standard 115.42 Use of screening information..........................................................................................18 Standard 115.43 Protective custody.............................................................................................................21 Standard 115.51 Inmate reporting................................................................................................................22 Standard 115.53 Inmate access to outside confdential support services..............................................23 Standard 115.62 Agency protection duties.................................................................................................23 Standard 115.63 Reporting to other confnement facilities......................................................................24 Standard 115.71 Criminal and administrative agency investigations....................................................24 IV. Recommendations........................................................................................................................................25 Reduce Incarceration......................................................................................................................................25 Address Trial, Sentencing, and Parole Issues............................................................................................26 Prison Culture Issues.....................................................................................................................................26 Policy and Procedural Issues........................................................................................................................27 Searches............................................................................................................................................................28 PREA Audit Reports......................................................................................................................................28 PREA and Transportation Department Abuses........................................................................................29 PREA Confdentiality.....................................................................................................................................29 PREA Data Collection and Disclosure........................................................................................................29 PREA Prevention and Protection.................................................................................................................30 PREA Incident Responses, Investigation, and Training...........................................................................31 V. References Cited.............................................................................................................................................32 Addendum: Quotes From Survivors...............................................................................................................35 The Myth of PREA Zero Tolerance in Texas Prisons iv I. Introduction The intent of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in confnement. These standards are far from perfect in conception, and farther in implementation. Trans Pride Initiative (TPI) has concerns about PREA ever being implemented effectively in a retributive for-proft confnement system. The title of this report incorporates a statement made to one of our correspondents reporting sexual abuse in a Texas prison. In the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system, the PREA concept of “zero tolerance” is simply a means of covering up and denying abuse: “The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has zero tolerance for sexual abuse and sexual harassment and requires all allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment to be thoroughly investigated”; this is the template-based response to every report of sexual abuse and sexual harassment in TDCJ. This statement is a sham nod to PREA compliance that belies a system that not only fails to thoroughly investigate abuse, it also uses information reported to endanger survivors in an effort to discourage further reporting. The title of this report come from an Allred Unit Safe Prisons Department manager. The Safe Prisons Department is responsible for ensuring “zero tolerance” under PREA. This quote was made to a transgender woman when she tried to report that for the last six weeks she had been repeatedly raped under threat