Jean Berns and Anne Rettenberg will talk about Sexual Violence Behind Bars: Who Protects Incarcerated Women?
Incarcerated women are among the most vulnerable and least visible people in the state, and the majority are survivors of male violence before they ever enter custody. Once inside, they can face sexual abuse from several directions at once: from correctional officers, from medical staff, and from others housed alongside them. This presentation looks at the full picture. It covers why federal and state law treat all sexual contact in custody as inherently coercive, the oversight meant to prevent abuse and where it has broken down (from the federal "rape club" scandal at FCI Dublin here in the Bay Area to recent cases inside California's state women's prisons), how current housing policy under SB 132 factors in, and the barriers, including fear of retaliation, that keep women from reporting. The presentation also addresses reform and advocacy efforts underway.
Jean Berns is an educator and activist with over 20 years in the classroom, the last several working with incarcerated students. She founded and ran a San Francisco artist collective from 2015 to 2020, and before the fall of Roe v. Wade worked to keep independent abortion clinics open in red states through below-market loans. She holds a degree in mathematics and is a graduate student at San Francisco State University.
Anne Rettenberg, a new League member, is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked with the formerly incarcerated. She has also been a journalist. She is currently a semi-retired psychotherapist living in Novato.
The Justice Committee meets on the second Thursday of every month. The meetings are open to anyone with an interest in immigration, criminal justice reform, gun safety, human trafficking, and human rights.
Light refreshments provided for those attending in person at our League office (address above). Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508978817
No RSVP necessary. Contact justice@marinlwv.org for more information.
