[BrooklynGOP]

They'll probably put him in general population.

[lsee]

The first thing I'd wonder, as a parent, would not be "what's going to happen to him in prison", but "has he done anything to OTHER children, including his own"...

[mdittmar]

the father of my eight-year-old son and fourteen-year-old daughter,

That's should be the priority.

Never let him near the kids.

[TomServo]

As insensitive as this sounds, forget your ex and worry about getting whatever semblance of a family you have, back together.

[keithtoo]

I used to own a business where about half my employees were on probation or had been in jail at one time - dont ask why I didn't know that when I bought it. They gave me some info on the way things operate.

He can request protective custody, and a lot of prison systems will put sex offenders in separate areas by default, but the word is that "if the guys in the general population want to get at you, they can". Also, if the guards dont like you for any reason, they will put you where other inmates can mess with you.

That being said, there are a bunch of sex offenders in prison, and all of them dont get messed with. The best rule is "mind your business and do your time". If his lawyer can get him to serve his time in county jail, or, better yet, work-release, he will have a lot smoother time. There is a BIG difference between most county jails and state or federal prison. Most county inmates are their for a few months, then they either get released or get sent to prison. They dont really have time to establish a territory or pecking order. Since your ex is over 40, he will get put with older inmates in most county jails. That would be better for him. The young inmates in any county jail are 98% of the troublemakers.

The bottom line is, he would be much better staying for as short a time in possible in state prison. The folks I've known who have been there always say "you dont wanna know what goes on there".

[CatoRenasci]

This must be a gut-wrenching situation for you and your kids. Did he abuse your kids? Did he and you don't know about it? How do they feel? Very conflicted, angry and betrayed, I'd guess. And how do you feel? Betrayed also? Worried because this whole thing will mess up child support and who knows what else in your life. You should seek help for your kids and for you from your minister or priest, or from a good shrink.

Jail will probably not be easy for him, as you know child molesters are not popular, and he may be forced to do some of the things he did to his kids and more. It's OK to feel he should be in jail, and at the same time want him to be physically safe from being assaulted. Prison shouldn't be about rape, but that's what it's become.

There's not much you can do, other than try to figure out what's happened or not with your kids and help them deal with this, and keep your head up. Good luck and God bless your children and you.

[Rebelbase]

[vannrox]

Going to Prison? 5th Edition

by Jimmy Tayoun

Audenreed Press

Going To Prison? is a practical guide for the soon-to-be-inmate. It helps ease the transition to prison life and has been praised by inmates and prison staff alike. This essential handbook not only contains invaluable information for the new prisoner and his or her family and friends, but also for probation officers, attorneys, social workers, clergy, prison staff and administration, law and criminology students, prisoner advocates and even for the general public. Whether personally, professionally or financially - prison affects us all.

ISBN: 1-879418-33-9

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[Freedom2specul8]

~PING~

[vannrox]

LINKS

News articles and editorials

Vivian Berger, Sentenced to Rape, CounterPunch, February 6, 2002

Neve Gordon, Rape used as control in U.S. prisons, National Catholic Reporter, September 14, 2001

Steve Chapman, The Hidden, Accepted Horror of our Prisons, Townhall.com, June 7, 2001

Sasha Gear, An uncomfortable, unspeakable truth, Mail & Guardian (South Africa), May 25, 2001

Lisa Sandberg, Sexual attacks in Texas prisons seldom prosecuted, San Antonio Express-News, May 24, 2001

Philip Weiss, Uncovered Prison Rapes Show Failure of Media, New York Observer, April 30, 2001

The toll of prison rape, Toledo Blade, April 27, 2001

Jane Eisner, Inmate rape is the dirty secret of a nation obsessed with jails, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 26, 2001

Cruel and Usual, Washington Post, April 23, 2001

Rape in Prison, New York Times, April 22, 2001 (registration req'd)

Anthony Lewis, A Test of Civilization, New York Times, April 21, 2001 (registration req'd)

Joanne Mariner, Judicial Abdication of Responsibility for Protecting Prisoners From Rape, FindLaw's Writ, April 19, 2001

Tamar Lewin, Little Sympathy or Remedy for Inmates Who Are Raped, New York Times, April 15, 2001 (registration req'd)

Alison Healy, Governor says prison rapes are uncommon, Irish Times, August 25, 2000

Tracy Farran, Worst nightmare: Prison rape, Daily Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg, South Africa), May 22, 2000

Former Inmate Testifies in Prison Rape Trial, APBnews.com, October 20, 1999

Lewis Griswold, Guards laughed at rape: witness, The Fresno Bee, October 14, 1999

Mary Rose Liverani, Prisoner rape not "inevitable," Law Society Journal (New South Wales, Australia), September 1999

Christian Parenti, Rape as a disciplinary tactic, Salon.com, August 23, 1999

Kevin Corcoran, Sick Justice: The face of prison rape, The Times (Munster, Indiana), September 19, 1997

Related sites

Stop Prisoner Rape, an organization committed to combating the rape of male and female prisoners and to helping survivors of jailhouse rape.

ACLU National Prison Project, a project of the American Civil Liberties Union that seeks to create constitutional conditions of confinement and strengthen prisoners’ rights through class action litigation and public education.

CURE, an organization seeking to promote the fair and humane treatment of prisoners, and far less reliance on incarceration as a response to crime.

Prison Law Page, contains articles and other information with regard to criminal justice issues in California.

Prison Legal News, a monthly journal that covers prison-related news and analysis from across the country and around the world.

Court cases

Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994) (only Supreme Court case involving rape in prison)

Mervin v. Furlong, No. 99-1135 (10th Cir. 2000)

Spruce v. Sargent, 149 F. 3d 783 (8th Cir. 1998)

K.F.P. v. Dane County, 110 F.3d 516 (7th Cir. 1997)

Langston v. Peters, 100 F.3d 1235 (7th Cir. 1996)

Billman v. Indiana Department of Corrections, 56 F. 3d 785 (7th Cir. 1995)

United States v. Bailey, 44 U.S. 394 (1980) (coercive conditions no defense to prosecution of inmates for escape from jail)

See the dissent by Justice Blackmun: "A youthful inmate can expect to be subjected to homosexual gang rape his first night in jail, or, it has been said, even in the van on the way to jail. Weaker inmates become the property of stronger prisoners or gangs, who sell the sexual services of the victim. Prison officials either are disinterested in stopping abuse of prisoners by other prisoners or are incapable of doing so, given the limited resources society allocates to the prison system."

Legislation and policies

Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice, Program Statement, Sexual Abuse/Assault Prevention and Intervention Programs, CPD No. 5324.04 (December 31, 1997)

Florida, Protection Against Sexual Violence in Florida Jails and Prisons Act, Senate Bill 226; Senate staff analysis of bill (PDF file)

San Francisco Sheriff's Department, Policy and Procedure on Sexual Assault, Procedure No. F-04 (September 19, 1997)

[Tennessee_Bob]

What happens will depend on whether or not the general population finds out or is told what he's in prison for.

[Sally II]

Wow. That must be a real shock for you and your children. I can't imagine what it must be like to have married someone and had kids with them and (even if he is no longer your husband) find out that he was so sick. That will be a difficult fact for your children to grow up with. I do hope that his age is a positive factor for him in prison.

If you want to help in any way you can pray for your ex, but it seems the only tangible thing you can do now is deal with the facts you have today and help your children get through this diffult time. Whatever your ex has to go through now, is for him to deal with. It's his burden, not yours.

And don't worry about your ex's future: "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

[kennyo]

What little I know of this subject has been said.But this gem from the attorney general(!) of California bears repeating:

"I would love to personally escort [Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth] Lay to an 8-by-10 cell that he could share with a tattooed dude who says, 'Hi my name is Spike, honey,' " Lockyer said.

Lockyer, who is investigating whether energy firms have manipulated prices on the wholesale electricity market, made the comment in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that appeared Tuesday.

Once again,this was uttered by the Attorney General of California!

[Just another Joe]

Don't want to give the impression that I'm worried about him--as far as I'm concerned, all child molesters ought to be just put up against the wall and shot, since they're irredeemably evil--but you can perhaps imagine that his life or death is a matter of interest to me and my children.

Sorry about you finding out in such a manner.
Any child abuser/molester doesn't deserve to die a quick death.
Punishment of the most cruel and unusual type is in order.
I have no idea what is in store for your ex in prison as I have never been there and don't know anybody that has that will talk about it.
That might tell you something right there.

[libertylover]

I was in perhaps a similar situation.

- Try to find out what really happened. In the case I know about "sexual assault" meant that he kissed a little girl on the leg. It's in no way appropriate but it's a long way from rape, violence, etc. This guy may or may not be the monster he's being made out to be.

- A "confession" may be dubious as well since the police often ask leading questions. I the case I know of, the guy was very drunk at the time and he thought by "confessing" he would be sent to AA or something. Your ex's lawyer may be able to get the "confession" thrown out if it's not too late.

- I don't know about Maryland, but in Florida an inmate is first sent to what you might call a "new guy camp" to try help the inmate adjust. In the case I know, the inmate was sent to a prison with an inmate population older than the average prison, but there were still some younger guys there.

Some advice for him:

- Don't tell ANYBODY why he's in there.

- Choose his friends very carefully and don't be good buddies with the guards. Don't do anything to stand out with the other inmates or with the guards.

- The person I knew died from a heart problem primarily because it was 33 HOURS before they took him to the hospital.

- Good luck and God Bless.

[jordan8]

Inmates are generally not interested in old-timers, except perhaps for extortion. Plus many systems segregate the old for their protection.

[ReaganIsRight]

I only know about the Harford County prison from a friend who was once a nurse there. All new inmates were introduced to "Bubba", a big black male who initiated them. She dispensed the vaseline and tended to wounds. Good Luck for Ex.

[Mike19720]

I have been in and out of prison for ten years and have seen some crazy stuff. Gramps is not going to have an easy time in there. One for being old and weak, and two for being in there for sexual assault. I was on kitchen duty a few years back and so was an ex-child molestor. When my fellow inmates found out why he was locked up, they shoved a can of peas up his anus six inches deep. Rapists and molestors, I would say, have a 99% chance of getting punked (raped). I know 6 rapists in prison, and not one of them got out without having had the same thing done to them.