Incarcerated Women Need Justice Now as Victims of Sexual Assault

This is an opinion piece by #cut50 co-founder Jessica Jackson and formerly incarcerated women/activist Leyla Martinez.

However, there was an important group of women left out of the conversation—some of the most vulnerable women in this country, none of whom have an ability to post on social media or participate in awards shows—women living in our prisons and jails.

The number of women behind bars has grown rapidly over the past few decades. In fact, women are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. prison population; over the last 30 years, the rate of women in prison has increased by more than 700 percent, rising from 26,378 in 1980 to 215,332 in 2014. The U.S. is home to 5 percent of the world's women, but we have 30 percent of the incarcerated female population.

Women behind bars are often subjected to inhumane treatment. This compounds their sexual trauma and strips them of their dignity.

Like the millions of women who have shared harrowing stories of sexual harassment, assault and trauma, nearly 90 percent of incarcerated women reported being raped or sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. During their incarceration, male guards can strip search these women and supervise them in showers and other sensitive areas. Because of our failure to protect these women, they are retraumatized on a daily basis.

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For example, women who don’t have the means to purchase hygiene products are forced to find creative ways to avoid bleeding on the floors of their cell. Moreover, every year, nearly 2,000 women spend what is supposed to be the most amazing moment of their life—the birth of their baby—in shackles surrounded by male guards. Pregnant women are placed in solitary confinement, not for breaking any rules or misbehaving, but for simply being pregnant. Women with a history of mental health issues—some due to the trauma of sexual assault—are also needlessly placed in solitary confinement.

Correctional institutions are supposed to help rehabilitate people. But stripping women of their dignity, exposing them to harsh and re-traumatizing treatment is counter-productive to preparing them to reenter society with success in mind.

As dark as the current picture sounds, there is hope. We have a plan to change this.

Our organizations are trying to reduce some of the unjust conditions by partnering with elected officials, Grammy-Award winning artists and formerly incarcerated organizers to bring dignity to incarcerated women.

In July, Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Richard Durbin introduced the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, a bill that would ban shackling and solitary confinement for pregnant women and prohibit prisons from charging for essential health care items, such as tampons and pads. Shortly after, #cut50 launched the #Dignity campaign, in partnership with Alicia Keys’ We Are Here Movement, Survivors Guide to Prison, and American Conservative Union Foundation.

We are now calling on Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley to schedule a committee hearing to discuss the issue of female incarceration and its impact on children and families across the country. With the recent appointment of Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris to that committee, the prospects for a hearing just got brighter.

Incarcerated women deserve dignity. Let’s turn this moment into a movement and actually change laws around the country.