CA Report on Sexual Assault Response and Prevention
"Gender identity" lurks in the shadows even when it's not front and center
March 26, 2024
Yesterday, the group Women Are Real (give them a follow at @WomenAreReals) alerted me to a recent a report on sexual assault response and prevention in the California women’s prisons.
It starts out benignly enough:
The 2023-24 Budget Act requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to submit a report to the California Legislature by March 1, 2024 regarding the following: (a) Protections for sexual assault and harassment whistleblowers inside prisons or otherwise in the Department’s custody, (b) Access to trauma-informed supports for incarcerated survivors, and (c) The process for handling allegations of staff misconduct that specifically involve allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
…
The CDCR leadership team is fully committed to protecting victims of sexual assault and ensuring avenues are available for both the incarcerated population and staff to safely report misconduct. Sexual abuse and harassment of those under our care is completely unacceptable. CDCR acknowledges there is more work to be done and as such, remains committed to working with all stakeholders to continue to improve our processes and outcomes. This report outlines CDCR’s response to recent reports of sexual assault and staff misconduct within the institutions, as well as provides recommendations focused on the long-term safety of the incarcerated population within the women’s institutions. It is important to note that the vast majority of women incarcerated in California prisons are victims of past trauma, especially sexual assault. This makes our approach and services extremely important. Therefore, this report provides an overview of ongoing working efforts surrounding protections for sexual assault victims and harassment whistleblowers inside prisons, improving access to trauma-informed support and services for incarcerated survivors, and improving the process for handling allegations of staff misconduct that involve sexual assault and harassment.
Sounds great!
But if you know what’s going on in California’s women’s prisons, it’s not difficult to figure out what’s really going on here and how the state’s own policies and actors are harming women. A glimpse behind the curtain reveals the “gender identity” lurking in the shadows.
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