HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	59
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO STUDY THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SEXUAL ABUSE AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER WITHIN THE STATE'S FEMALE PRISON POPULATION.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety is responsible for ensuring the safety of the State's prison population; and

 

     WHEREAS, sexual attacks are a common occurrence in prisons nationwide, prompting the need for the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, the purpose of which is to reduce prison rape through research and information gathering; and

 

     WHEREAS, victims of sexual assault may be less likely to report the incident due to the fear of retaliation or the fear of being stigmatized with pejorative labels; and

 

     WHEREAS, female inmates who are victims of sexual assault have limited resources and support networks to cope with the experience, which further inhibits female inmates from reporting the sexual assault; and

 

     WHEREAS, the symptoms of sexual violence may include intense fear, helplessness, or horror and may develop into post-traumatic stress disorder; and

 

     WHEREAS, people who experience post-traumatic stress disorder are often forced to rely on psychotherapy or medications to help them cope with the causes and symptoms of the disorder; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the University of Hawaii, with the help of its appropriate department, is requested to conduct a study of the correlation between sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder within the female inmate population; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED than any information gathered as part of this study pertaining to individual names or identifications shall be kept confidential at all times; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii and its appropriate department are requested to report findings and recommendations to the Legislature not later than 20 days before the convening of the 2015 Regular Session; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Hawaii.

Report Title: 

PSD; Sexual Abuse; PTSD; Study