Guantanamo Bay Could Soon Be Rape Free

?Joe? didn?t know his cellmate was a sexual predator. Not a single member of staff at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), where Joe was imprisoned in the summer of 2009, bothered to tell him. In fact, Joe claims, one guard told him his new cellmate was an ?all right guy.?

He wasn?t.

Joe?s roommate was serving a 72-year sentence for brutally raping and sodomizing a woman while knowingly carrying HIV. A week before being placed with Joe, the man had battered his previous cellmate in a bloody fight.

MORE: The Good News About Prison Rape

Sure enough, after two days lying in wait, Joe?s roommate attacked and sexually assaulted him?threatening to kill him with a prison shank if he cried out. The attacks were excruciating, repeated and carried on for four days.

Joe was released from prison in 2011 and sued the CDCR for failing to protect him. This past May, his lawyers forced CDCR to acknowledge that putting a violent sex offender in a cell with Joe was out of policy. A settlement was reached a month later.

Inmate advocates largely agree that state prisons like the one Joe was assaulted in may be on the verge of becoming sex-abuse free?or as close to rape-free as possible.

Joe?s settlement, perhaps not coincidentally, came just weeks after the U.S. Justice Department issued a series of uniform guidelines?for preventing sexual abuse in American correctional facilities. The guidelines mandate intensive screening of prison staff?who are believed to perpetrate half of the sexual assaults inside prison walls?ensure medical treatment and mental health counseling for victims, and grant prisoners the right to report sexual assault to an outside agency.

San Diego CityBeat, which broke the news of Joe?s story and published a lengthy investigation into the local epidemic of prison rape, reports that prison officials are taking the new standards seriously. Because of these new standards, inmate advocates largely agree that state prisons like the one Joe was assaulted in may be on the verge of becoming sex-abuse free?or as close to rape-free as possible.

?The Bureau of Prisons has until August 20th to be in compliance,? Chris Daley, deputy executive director of the prison advocacy group Just Detention International, tells TakePart. ?The good news is, they?re pretty far along. There are a few gray areas to be worked out, but where the regulations are clear the BoJ seems to be trying to move forward in an effective way to create on-the-ground policies. And they?re making sure facilities understand that these regulations have support in the federal government, all the way to the attorney general himself.?

However, while state and federal prisons appear to be on the way to become safer, there are dozens of less-talked about detention facilities where the safety of inmates is still up in the air.

On May 17 of this year, the same day the DOJ released its standards, President Obama issued a memo explicitly specifying that ?all agencies with Federal confinement facilities that are not already subject to the Department of Justice?s final [PREA] rule to work with the Attorney General [are required] to propose, within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, any rules or procedures necessary to satisfy the requirements of PREA.?

Obama was referring to Homeland Security, The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Heath and Human Services and the U.S. Marshall Service. All of these massive bureaucracies run detention facilities?many of which are extremely covert. Obama?s memo didn?t mandate that these facilities implement the standards laid out by the DOJ. Instead, he demanded they come up with their own standards?a monumental task given the slim four-month timeframe he allotted.

By default, then, most of these agencies will likely have to conform to the DOJ standards?something that Just Detention?s Daley says most have expressed a willingness to do.

The Department of Defense, as you may have heard, is a federal agency that runs a detention center or two. Aside from detaining military members facing court martial, the DoD is charged with running Guantanamo Bay and foreign sites like Abu Ghraib in Iraq. So far, neither the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, nor President Obama have said a word publicly about how PREA standards will apply to Guantanamo and other foreign detention centers like it.

?We believe that these are confinement facilities run by the U.S. government,? says Daley, ?and we?ll be very disappointed if, at the end of this process, that is not a very public position taken by DoD.?

The Department of Justice didn?t return TakePart?s repeated calls for clarification. The DoD has until Sept. 17 to issue its preliminary guidelines.

?There?s no indication right now that anyone is revolting on the White House,? says Daley. ?It?s early in the process. Until we see drafts, it will be hard to see how seriously these agencies are taking things. But this is a serious issue. If these departments want to do it well, they are going to have to devote serious resources. We?ll know one way or the other in a couple months.??

Is prison rape the ?acceptable? kind of rape? Leave your thoughts in COMMENTS.

Related Stories on TakePart:

? DEA Says So Sorry You Had to Drink Your Urine

? Stand Your Ground: How Many More Innocents Will Die

? Poverty: In the U.S., That?s Kid Stuff

---

Matthew Fleischer is a former LA Weekly staff writer and an award-winning social justice reporter in Los Angeles. Email Matt

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guantanamo-bay-could-soon-rape-free-215002267.html

norco rand paul detained nbc news asexual jim carrey san francisco chronicle kourtney kardashian pregnant

Robert Pattinson on Kristen Stewart Apology: Unacceptable! Horrifying!

We discussed it in a recent edition of THG Asks, but according to a new report, there really isn't a debate:

Kristen Stewart absolutely should NOT have issued a public apology after her affair with Rupert Sanders became tabloid and website fodder.

The Sun Times quotes a source who says Pattinson is "horrified" that Stewart took such a step because he's a "very, very proud man" and:

"The two of them had this very specific personal agreement about not ‘going public’ with their relationship, until they both agreed it was the right time. To do it this way - apologizing for cheating on him - ended up being totally unacceptable."

Is there any hope at all for Robsten? It's too early to say, although Robert has reportedly packed up and moved out.

The insider claims Pattinson is trying to remain in seclusion so he can "digest it all," but his stance on the public apology is clear:

“'She only had to call two people,'" Rob supposedly said afterward. ""Me and [Liberty Ross, Sanders’ wife].”

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/robert-pattinson-on-kristen-stewart-apology-unacceptable-horrify/

west virginia rob roy gaslight justin timberlake michael dyer bachmann bachmann

Apple patent application could make you Master and Commander of the iHome

Apple wants to be master of the house -- yours, in particular. At least that's the vision put forth by this latest patent application, filed back in March of this year, that would give iOS-wielding homeowners control of virtually all Cupertino-sanctioned gadgetry within the confines of domesticity. It's really as basic as that, given that the doc clearly outlines a method for discovering, selecting and operating a multitude of tech from a handheld device (insert your iGadget of choice here) over WiFi. Could this connected (and likely, Siri-voiced) home network in the making streamline remote manipulation of everyday household items, like setting refrigerators to make ice from the comfort of your couch, DVRs to record while you work in the garage or thermostats to lower as you laze about under the bedsheets? As always, only time and the combined ingenuity of designers and engineers hiding out in R&D bunkers somewhere beneath One Infinite Loop will tell.

Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless, Internet, Software

Apple patent application could make you Master and Commander of the iHome originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Apple Insider  |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nDvVP0bFmFM/

mexico city earthquake stand your ground law dancing with the stars season 14 david garrard bethenny frankel miguel cabrera michael bay ninja turtles

Turkey's Erdogan: cannot stay "spectator" over Aleppo

LONDON (Reuters) - International steps must be taken to deal with President Bashar al-Assad's military build-up around the Syrian city of Aleppo and his government's threat to use chemical weapons, Turkish Prime Minster Recep Erdogan said on Friday.

"There is a build-up in Aleppo and the recent statements, with respect to the use of weapons of mass destruction, are actions that we cannot remain an observer or spectator to," he said at a joint news conference in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"Steps need to be taken jointly within the United Nations Security Council, the Organisation of Islamic Countries, the Arab League, and we must work together to try to overcome the situation," said Erdogan.

Cameron said Britain and Turkey were concerned that Assad's government was about to carry out some "some truly appalling acts around and in the city of Aleppo".

"This would be completely unacceptable. This regime needs to realize it is illegitimate, it is wrong and it needs to stop what it is doing," Cameron said.

(Reporting by Tim Castle; Editing by Ralph Gowling)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkeys-erdogan-cannot-stay-spectator-over-aleppo-192738307.html

martial law is jon bon jovi dead jon bon jovi jon bon jovi kim jong il died warren hellman survivor south pacific

Customer satisfaction more likely at a building society

Customers are more likely to get better customer service from a building society than mutual lenders with shareholders, according to the Building Societies Association.

Independent research carried out by GfK NOP on behalf of the BSA found that 69 per cent of people were happy with the mortgage customer service from a building society, while other lenders customer satisfaction was just 57 per cent.

Meanwhile 77 per cent of customers were satisfied when it came to current accounts from a building society, compared to 64 per cent from other providers and 56 per cent were happy with their building society savings account, compared to 46 per cent at other providers.

The survey also found that customer satisfaction on mortgages, savings and current accounts was around ten percentage points higher for building societies, compared to other lenders.

BSA also surveyed users on the reasons for being more satisfied with building societies and found that 50 per cent of users trusted building societies to ?look after their interests?, compared to just 34 per cent of bank users.

The BSA said: ?Mutuals are owned by their customers, not external shareholders and this is reflected in how members of staff at building societies and other mutuals interact with their customers.

?Also, although mutuals were not immune to the effects of the financial crisis, they did not cause it. They tend to run lower-risk businesses and as a result did not rely on government support anywhere near to the extent that the banking sector did.?

Source: http://www.themoneypages.com/latest-news/customer-satisfaction-building-society/

pasco county rooney mara solstice x factor results x factor results the hobbit movie trailer xfactor

Video: Heartland bakes during brutal heat wave

>>> tonight with its first estimates of how this year's drought will affect food prices starting with chicken and turkey prices. expected to rise from 3.5 to 4.5% before the year ends. it was at it again today, high temperatures once again pushing into the triple digits in many spots across the country. one of the big weather headlines today came out of st. louis . they set a new all-time record temperature for this date, 107 degrees today. that makes 11 days above 105, also a record. we get our report tonight from nbc's john yang .

>> reporter: st. louis has been like an oven set on broil. today the 16th day of triple digit heat.

>> oh, it's hot. it's real hot.

>> reporter: in chicago high temperatures were compounded by power outages from strong storms.

>> living without my air conditioning , my refrigerator, everything. you know, it's just rough right now.

>> reporter: the heat is blamed for at least 24 deaths in st. louis . officials say most victims didn't have air conditioning or turned it off to save money.

>> we're coming to take care of your mother.

>> reporter: the charity called cool down st. louis provides free units for mrs. smith easing her son's worries.

>> doesn't have air for asthma.

>> reporter: also hard on crops. today the agriculture department named 76 more counties natural disaster areas, bringing the total to more than 1300 counties in 31 states. a new report from the union of concerned scientists said midwest heat waves are more frequent than they were 60 years ago. here in cheyenne average of four more days of dangerous heat and seven fewer summer days of cool, dry air. forecasters say the midwest heat is about to dip, but it's hard to call it relief.

>> kts come down from the triple digits to the mid-90s. that last as couple of days then warms back up.

>> reporter: as the long hot summer broils on. john yang , nbc news, chicago.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/48327763/

alec baldwin kicked off plane alec baldwin kicked off plane mumia mumia uss arizona memorial uss arizona memorial d day

"Enough blood": Milosevic allies take power in Serbia

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's new leader, a wartime aide of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, told the Balkans on Thursday to forget the past and not fear the return to power of a political alliance that once led the country in war with NATO.

Confining the reformers who ousted Milosevic to the opposition benches for the first time in 12 years, Ivica Dacic said he would speed up Serbia's bid to join the European Union but would not deal anymore with his country's dark past.

"If they say the word Balkan means 'blood and honey', there's been enough blood, it's time to feel the taste of honey too," the 46-year-old prime minister-designate told parliament shortly before lawmakers were due to vote on his cabinet.

"Serbia is offering the hand of reconciliation, to all. Let's not deal anymore with the past, let's deal with the future."

The West is closely scrutinizing Dacic's assent to the post of prime minister, in alliance with the nationalists of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, for any sign Serbia might veer from the pro-EU path set by reformers since Milosevic's fall in 2000.

They last shared power at the close of Milosevic's disastrous 13-year rule, when his forces expelled hundreds of thousands of majority ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and NATO bombed for 11 weeks in 1999 to wrest the province from him.

Dacic was Milosevic's spokesman, railing against the West. He now says Serbia's future is in the EU, but Western diplomats admit to deep unease over whether he is really committed to the political and economic reforms it will take.

"A key goal of this government will be the acceleration of European integration and maximum effort to secure a date for the start of accession talks," Dacic said.

Kosovo was Milosevic's last throw of the dice, after fomenting wars in Croatia and Bosnia that killed some 125,000 people as federal Yugoslavia fell apart. He died in 2006 in a cell in The Hague, where he was standing trial for genocide and other war crimes.

The West says Serbia's progress towards EU membership rests on it coming to terms with the loss of Kosovo, an impoverished ethnic Albanian-dominated territory steeped in history and myth for many Serbs but recognized by almost half the world as independent.

"A BALKAN QUAGMIRE"

Dacic said he was ready to continue EU-mediated talks with Kosovo aimed at "normalizing life for all citizens". But Serbia would never recognize it as independent, he said.

The EU says it won't have to, at least explicitly, but it will have loosen its grip on a Serb-populated slice of Kosovo's north, and stop obstructing the country's development.

Dacic has previously advocated splitting Kosovo between its Albanians and Serbs, a non-starter for its European and American backers. His cooperation on Kosovo will determine how quickly the EU opens accession talks with Serbia, which became an official candidate for membership in March.

Ex-Yugoslav republic Slovenia joined the EU in 2004. Croatia is next in 2013 and Montenegro began talks last month.

Dacic was interior minister in the last government with the reformist Democratic Party from 2008, until voters punished the Democrats for a creeping culture of elitism and an economic downturn.

After nationalist leader Nikolic won the presidency in May, Dacic switched allegiances to his Serbian Progressives, a party that emerged from the ultranationalist Radical Party allied with Milosevic in the late 1990s.

With the technocrat United Regions bloc and a handful of smaller parties, the coalition holds around 140 of the Belgrade parliament's 250 seats.

United Regions leader Mladjan Dinkic, who played rock guitar at rallies against Milosevic, becomes finance minister in an unlikely alliance with the parties he protested against.

He inherits an economy sliding into recession, an unemployment rate of 25.5 percent and a shrinking, ageing population that scrapes by on an average net monthly wage of 340 euros ($420).

The new foreign minister is Ivan Mrkic, a career diplomat who was ambassador in Cyprus under Milosevic at a time when, according to reformers, millions of dollars were siphoned out of Serbia via Nicosia.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taking-power-ex-aide-milosevic-backs-serbias-eu-192425283.html

meredith vieira prop 8 larry bird maria menounos proposition 8 ricky martin chauncey billups