The Problem Of Prison Rape.

When one is sentenced to time in prison, in addition to the time one spends incarcerated, an inmate is additionally punished by everyone he or she comes in contact with. Some think that inmates deserve whatever they get. Most of us don't think about the incarcerated at all--out of site, out of mind. But, as I've stated here before most men and women who are in prison will one day be released back into society.

Years of being victimized can turn a casual criminal into a vicious predator. We need to pay attention to the growing and under-reported problem of prison rape.

"It's a real and serious problem," said Malcolm Feeley, professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley. "It may be the single largest shame of the American criminal justice system, and that's saying a lot."

Then there is the issue of incarcerating juveniles in adult facilities. This further exacerbates the problem.

The commission is warning Congress of the consequences of putting juveniles in adult prison, Struckman-Johnson said.

"When you put kids under 18 in prison with adults, the incidence of rape and abuse is five times higher," she said.

It's time we wake up and find real solutions to the problems that exist in our prisons and the impact this has on our society. Just locking people up and forgetting about them isn't the answer.

Prison rape isn't a problem limited to prisons, she said. "We get reports that people who are raped and abused in prison will rape and abuse others when they leave prison," she said.