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Review Panel on Prison Rape

Upcoming Hearings: There are no scheduled hearings at this time.

In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, Public Law 108-79, 117 Stat. 972 (codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. §§ 15601-15609 (2006)), the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, appointed the members of the Review Panel on Prison Rape (Panel) on January 1, 2010. Members of the Panel are:

  • Gwendolyn Chunn, retired Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Institute, Center for Criminal Justice Research and International Initiatives, Department of Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University
  • Dr. Reginald A. Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Ohio College Access Network and former director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
  • Sharon English, retired Deputy Director of the California Youth Authority's (CYA) Office of Prevention and Victim Services.

The Panel is responsible for conducting annual hearings to collect evidence to assist the Bureau of Justice Statistics in identifying common characteristics, not only of victims and perpetrators of prison rape, but also of prisons and prison systems with a high incidence of prison rape and those that have been successful in deterring prison rape.