MODELE n°1
Acting Warden Jacquez
Valley State Prison for Women
PO Box 92
Chowchilla-CA 93610-0099
Fax: 001 559 665 6102
Dear acting Warden Jacquez,
I am writing to you after being informed by Amnesty International that a
new policy, which allows male guards to conduct invasive „pat searches‰
of female prisoners, including touching the breast and crotch areas, has
been introduced in VSPW. I am deeply concerned by this practice which is
well known for being inherently cruel, degrading and open to abuse.
There is evidence that pat searches, when performed by male officers,
can inflict particularly severe trauma on women who have already been
victim of physical and sexual abuse. Such a policy is inconsistent with
international standards set out in The United nations Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (UNSMRs), rule 53(3), which states
that women prisoners shall be attended and supervised only by women
officers and that male staff providing professional services such as
doctors and teachers, should always be accompanied by female officers.
Therefore I strongly call for the policy to be immediately discontinued,
so that male guards are not allowed to conduct pat searches. Moreover I
urge you that steps will be taken to ensure that male staff do not have
unsupervised access to female prisoners, and so minimize the risk of
abuse, in accordance with the United Nations minimum standards.
I thank you in advance for keeping me informed on the progress made on
the above.
Yours faithfully,
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MODELE n°2
Director Edward S. Alameida
California Department of Corrections
PO Box 942883,1515 S St
Sacramento-CA 94283
Fax: 001 926 322 2877
Dear Director,
I am writing to you after being informed by Amnesty International that a
new policy, which allows male guards to conduct invasive „pat searches‰
of female prisoners, including touching the breast and crotch areas, has
been introduced in Valley State Prison for Women. I am deeply concerned
by this practice which is well known for being inherently cruel,
degrading and open to abuse and I would like to know which measures are
being taken to ensure that female prisoners will not be subjected to
abuses by male guards.
I also express concern on the general practice of using male staff in
female‚s facilities in California. Such a policy is inconsistent with
international standards set out in The United nations Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (UNSMRs), rule 53(3), which states
that women prisoners shall be attended and supervised only by women
officers and that male staff providing professional services such as
doctors and teachers, should always be accompanied by female officers.
Therefore I call for the policy of Œpat searches‚ by male guards on
female prisoners to be rescinded in the VSPW and in all California‚s
prisons for women and I urge that policies are reviewed to restrict the
role of male guards in women‚s facilities, as required under
international standards.
I thank you in advance for keeping me informed on the progress made on
the above. Yours faithfully,
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Traduction du modèle de lettre n°2
Je vous écris après avoir été informé-e par AI des nouvelles
dispositions en vigueur à la prison d‚Etat VSPW qui autorisent des
gardiens de sexe masculin à toucher les seins et l‚entrejambe des
prisonnières, au cours de fouilles corporelles par palpation. Je suis
profondément préoccupé-e par cette pratique qui est bien connue pour
être en soi cruelle, dégradante et facilitant les abus et j‚aimerais
savoir quelles mesures sont prises pour s‚assurer que les prisonnières
ne seront pas victimes d‚abus de la part de gardiens masculins.
Je voudrais également exprimer mes préoccupations sur la présence
généralisée de gardiens masculins dans les prisons pour femmes en
Californie. Cette politique est en opposition avec les standards
internationaux définis dans „Les règles minimales des Nations-Unies pour
le traitement des prisonniers‰ (règle 53-3) qui stipulent que les
prisonnières doivent être prises en charge et surveillées uniquement par
des officiers de sexe féminin et que le personnel masculin procurant des
services professionnels tels que les médecins ou les enseignants doit
toujours être accompagné d‚officiers féminins.
C‚est pourquoi je demande l‚abrogation de cette pratique aussi bien à
VSPW que dans l‚ensemble des prisons pour femmes de Californie et
j‚exhorte les autorités californiennes à restreindre le rôle des
gardiens de sexe masculin dans les prisons pour femmes et ce, en accord
avec les standards internationaux.
Par avance je vous remercie de me tenir informé-e des progrès faits à ce
sujet. Veuillez....