Prison rapes, especially in the male population, have always been troublesome and alarmingly frequent. A causal problem resides with all those working and living in institutions. If sent to prison, an incarcerated man faces a 1 in 10 chance of being raped. The Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1992 reported that up to 20% of the population were raped. Yet for decades nothing was done.

Then in 2001, the Human Rights Watch, a research and advocacy group wrote a piece, "No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons.” In response, in 2003, the United States Congress passed PREA, the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which called for national standards to prevent rapes while requiring positive changes in policing and reporting. The law made rape a top priority. PREA required the DOJ to create a review panel to hold hearings. According to one of the formerly incarcerated men I interviewed in Texas, the law made a difference in the brutal rape culture at his incarceration facility. Though the rapes continued, they were less frequent.

Photograph courtesy of Jennifer Garza-Cuen

Model: Bobby Regalado