Mandated Sexual Assault in Prison

If you were walking down the street and a stranger forced you on threat of violence, kidnapping, and starvation to strip and expose yourself to them and perhaps several other strangers, that would be sexual assault, right? It's not just a peep show: they demand that you separate, turn, spread... It's among the most invasive treatment you can imagine and it's a regular occurrence in prison. They call it a strip search and they don't need any reason to demand it.

It’s been a few weeks for me; the last time I went out to the hospital for a surgery, I got the privilege twice. I should mention I walked right past a body orifice scanner (the kind you see in the airport is in every prison I've been to for the past 7 years) and a metal detector. Do I have to point out that they are more effective and FAR less invasive than the current method for "security"?

But this happens so often as to become commonplace. I'd say it's much like soldiers in war time "get used" to the sounds of gunfire. I will say though, I'm never okay with it and the first time is in my head like a "flashbulb memory" where I can still remember the color of the floor tiles and the indifference of the man who just told an 18-year-old kid(me) to strip in front of 20 other men. Never mind the other demands that would shame anyone used to being treated with humanity. That was 20 years ago, and my heart still beats faster when I think of it.

Can you guess what happens if you refuse on the basic grounds of human dignity? They will lock you in the nearest cage and send a team of armored guards to forcefully tear the clothes and physically inspect your orifices and separations with their own hands.

There are so many examples of actions that are absolutely and rightfully illegal to do to humans, most of them seen as FAR worse than dealing drugs or robbery(their severity shown by the much harsher prison sentences, kind of ironically)... so many examples like locking people in cages for weeks on end without showers, starving, etc... things most civilized countries don't allow people to do to animals, let alone prisoners. I think the daily violent sexual assaults by staff on hundreds of thousands of men and women (what the prison staff would call "inmates" with the same tone as an exterminator says "rats") are the best example of how society has accepted that to even be accused of a crime means an automatic revocation of all human rights.

As a reminder: this treatment is standard for those fighting their cases in jail; that is to say, people who are by the law (jokes) of our country "innocent until proven guilty". Many people (tragically including many inmates in here) believe that there is nothing too bad for someone convicted of a crime, but for those who are yet to be convicted... may be innocent. You can look up the numbers from your own local county jail: how many hundreds or thousands are released every month that have been found innocent.

The treatment I've described is awful and disgusting for anyone, but how much more so for the innocent? People who were falsely accused or victims of prejudice from law enforcement whose fallibilities are becoming more and more glaring. This could be anyone you know, it takes very little evidence to be accused of a crime. The popular saying in the legal offices is that "the grand jury will indict a ham sandwich". And that is enough to shed the ideals of humanity in general and subject anyone they like to sexual assault: that with threats of violence if you don’t comply. This could be your children, your parents... this could be YOU.

None of this is right, be it the innocent or the guilty. What kind of people could come out of these traumas? Does being accused or convicted of a crime merit the complete dehumanization of millions? I ask myself these things to myself as well. We let them do it because as a society, we've been fed this idea with our mother's milk: there is no treatment too bad for a prisoner.