More than two decades after the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee heard testimony Sept. 25 from individuals who claim to have been sexually abused while in detention facilities, David González of Los Angeles affiliate ABC7 reported.
One of the witnesses was Breane Wingfield, who was charged with robbery at age 14 after stealing a purse. According to her attorneys, over 3,000 claims of sexual abuse have been filed against L.A. County, alleging misconduct in juvenile facilities.
“These were not rehabilitation camps,” Wingfield testified. “They were nothing more than concentration camps.”
She recounted the abuse she says she endured at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall at the hands of correctional officers within the Los Angeles County juvenile probation system.
“I complied because I didn’t want a harsher sentence,” Wingfield said. “That threat always loomed over us. Where were the supervisors? No one intervened or protected us.”
In 2005, Wingfield was transferred to Camp Joseph Scott in Santa Clarita, where she said the abuse continued.
“The abuse was both sexual and deeply psychological,” she shared. “I lived in constant fear and just wanted to be released, to go home.”
Julie Abbate, National Advocacy Director for Just Detention International (JDI), explained that PREA was designed to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in correctional facilities. However, she argued that the policy is not being properly enforced.
“While PREA has made jails and prisons somewhat safer for both inmates and staff, can we truly say it’s working? I think it’s difficult to answer that affirmatively after hearing Ms. Wingfield’s testimony,” Abbate said.
Lawmakers, including Senator Cory Booker, acknowledged that PREA is failing to protect everyone and are looking for ways to strengthen the law to prevent sexual abuse in detention facilities.
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