c4ss.org: Prisons Can’t Stop Rape Culture, Grassroots Intervention Can

24.3.13

Prisons Can’t Stop Rape Culture, Grassroots Intervention Can: Trigger warning: The following op-ed contains discussion of rape, including some graphic details.

When I heard that two rapists in the Steubenville, Ohio case were convicted and sentenced to jail, I’ll admit part of me felt a sense of relief. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), only 3% of rapists ever spend a night in prison. It feels good to see rapists fall into that 3%. But the more I consider this case, the more I realize that no prosecution, verdict or sentence can solve the problem.

The men who were convicted raped a 16-year old girl — digitally penetrated her while she was drunk, vulnerable and unconscious. Photographs of the girl’s naked body were taken and shared without her consent. These acts are appalling violations of the right to control one’s own body, the most basic principle of liberty. Rape and sexual assault violate that right in the most personal, damaging and invasive way.