Rape victim put in jail after breakdown on witness stand

It is hard to imagine a prosecutor putting a rape victim who is bipolar in jail. But that's exactly what Channel 2 Investigates uncovered in a two-part series.

After a rape victim named Jenny had an obvious mental breakdown while testifying against her attacker, Harris County prosecutors decided the best way to make sure she'd return to complete her testimony was to lock her up in the Harris County Jail.

What? I mean I understand perhaps they were worried she was a flight risk or prepared to do harm to herself or others, but don't we have better and more specialized facilities?

"Putting a witness in jail on a material witness bond is highly irregular and reserved for the worst of the worst witnesses, maybe gang cases," Ogg said. "They can be protected by placing them in a hotel, you can place them with family, you can keep in contact."

That all sounds reasonable to me.

Hendricks went to prison after Jenny eventually completed her testimony after spending nearly a month in jail. After that testimony, Jenny was released.

Annnnd that's when my WTF left orbit. They kept this poor woman locked in jail for a freaking month?

In the video, Anderson said, "I have carefully reviewed the case and fully support our prosecutor's actions. It bears repeating this was a difficult decision and there were no apparent alternatives that would ensure the victim's safety and her appearance at trial."

I guess my ignorance of the law is showing, but can they force someone to testify? I didn't think that was a thing. Is that a thing?

It appears she was also assaulted while in jail by another inmate.

Also, apparently it's so rare to do this that her jailers all thought SHE was a rapist.

I realize I'm having an emotional response to this, but WTF!? Can someone shed some more light on the legality of this?

Link

originally posted by: Domo1

It is hard to imagine a prosecutor putting a rape victim who is bipolar in jail. But that's exactly what Channel 2 Investigates uncovered in a two-part series.

After a rape victim named Jenny had an obvious mental breakdown while testifying against her attacker, Harris County prosecutors decided the best way to make sure she'd return to complete her testimony was to lock her up in the Harris County Jail.

What? I mean I understand perhaps they were worried she was a flight risk or prepared to do harm to herself or others, but don't we have better and more specialized facilities?

"Putting a witness in jail on a material witness bond is highly irregular and reserved for the worst of the worst witnesses, maybe gang cases," Ogg said. "They can be protected by placing them in a hotel, you can place them with family, you can keep in contact."

That all sounds reasonable to me.

Hendricks went to prison after Jenny eventually completed her testimony after spending nearly a month in jail. After that testimony, Jenny was released.

Annnnd that's when my WTF left orbit. They kept this poor woman locked in jail for a freaking month?

In the video, Anderson said, "I have carefully reviewed the case and fully support our prosecutor's actions. It bears repeating this was a difficult decision and there were no apparent alternatives that would ensure the victim's safety and her appearance at trial."

I guess my ignorance of the law is showing, but can they force someone to testify? I didn't think that was a thing. Is that a thing?

It appears she was also assaulted while in jail by another inmate.

Also, apparently it's so rare to do this that her jailers all thought SHE was a rapist.

I realize I'm having an emotional response to this, but WTF!? Can someone shed some more light on the legality of this?

Link

You have just entered the twighlight zone..

It's impossible to justify the incarceration of a rape victim. Surely there were other much kinder alternatives than jail. Talk about victimizing a victim.

a reply to: maria_stardust

It just seems incredibly gross. Mentally unstable rape victim jailed for a month.

a reply to: Domo1

Since when can a victim be placed in jail, just to make sure thy testify!? That makes no sense at all. A month in jail? I am not a fan of lawsuits for everything, but in this case, I would be filing a very large one.

a reply to: Domo1

Good grief! Another reason to stay away from Texas!

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

So apparently in rare gang related cases. I feel the same way as you about lawsuits and this scenario.

I wonder if it had been a female prosecutor she would have been jailed-this is beyond bizarre. The judge and prosecutor and all involved in the injustice of this rape victim need to be arrested and jailed; see how they like it; then lose their jobs. Also this rape victim needs to sue all including the government for restitution in civil court; I am sure she will need alot of therapy. I am sure she will never totally recover. I hope other women pay attention to the cruelty enforced on her by, I have to assume were male, court judge etc.

a reply to: Domo1this makes me sick. No mental health units? Who is responsible for that? This person could received mental health, instead she was treated as a criminal... she was probably scared about speaking against her attacker.

Horrible situation hopefully something is done to giver her the right help which isn't jailing her even a hold in a facility is a better option. "The prosecutor believed Jenny would disappear and jailing her would help." -source quote. If as they claim to be worried about her "dissapearing" from the courts(while still may cause her distress)-if possible. Being in jail, of course, can possibly make her mental situation worse.

"Texas's laws allow for the use of court-ordered treatment in the community" Source and more info

a reply to: peppycat

Yeah thinking about how scared she must have been for myriad reasons breaks my heart.

She was violently raped, she's bi-polar, then she gets thrown in jail where the guards think she's a rapist, assaulted in jail, and has to stay in jail for a month all because of the Justice System that's supposed to F-ING PROTECT HER.

It took them almost a month wait to have her testify? I could see keeping a person in the jail for overnight, most jails have private cell areas. But almost a month?

Something is wrong down there. Maybe that judge should be retired.

If I am reading this post correctly. They sent her to jail until she was ready to testify.

Any chance that the didn't think she was THAT crazy that it would take her a month before she testified.

We don't want the rapist to walk, so we will calm down in jail for a little, then a little becomes hours, hours becomes days, days become weeks, all while they kept saying. 'She will testify soon. Crap she didn't do it, ok give her more time....crap, more time'.

Doesn't that seem more logical then they threw a girl in jail Just to throw her in jail

just to be pedantic - she was [ at the time of her incaceration ] an alledged rape victim

a reply to: ignorant_ape

pedantry noted

I would be sueing those bastards.

a reply to: Domo1

They could have hospitalized her if they thought she was suicidal. If that's what they meant by being concerned for her "safety."

Her being in there a month AND assaulted by an inmate on top of that shows they really weren't that concerned for her after all...

Does she have any legal recourse now? Can she sue??

Poor woman. It seems outrageous and is very distressing to me.

If this is true then our system is a disgrace! My brain is having a hard time understanding why a rape victim would be put in a prison putting her safely directly at risk??
I hope she can sue.

Now this is something I'd love to see SJW smear all over the place.

Where is the social outrage?

Where are the protests?



Society has their priorities mixed up..... /smh

So in the state of Texas if you are the victim of a heinous crime like rape you are jailed for not cooperating with the courts .....the system is broken and until it gets fixed we will see a whole lot more people targeting those in power which includes the boys in blue on the front line.....we need some bowie....