''Don't Drop the Soap'' is a controversial

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

-themed

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

. The game received criticism for its content, most notably for the game's treatment of

prison rape Prison rape or jail rape is sexual assault of people while they are incarcerated. The phrase is commonly used to describe rape of inmates by other inmates. It is a significant, if controversial, part of what is studied under the wider concept ...

. Sebelius also received notice for being the son of

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...

and U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Gary Sebelius. The game officially went on sale on January 31, 2008 in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

and through Sebelius' personal website, and is considered to be similar to ''

Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

'' in its gameplay.

Gameplay

The gameplay consists of six levels and can be played by up to three people. Users can choose to play as Sal "The Butcher", "Anferny", or "Wheelz", a disabled prisoner. The ultimate goal of the game is for the player to make

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

without dropping the soap in the prison shower. If a prisoner drops the soap, they'll bend over to pick it up, only to be subjected to rape by fellow inmates.

Reaction

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, a

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...

panel aimed at curbing prison rape, criticized the game and stated that the title made light of "a serious and all-too-pervasive violent sex crime." '' The Pitch'' criticized Sebelius, labelling him "The Idiot Son of an Elected Official." Politician Tim Huelskamp requested that the game be investigated and voiced concerns that the game was being marketed and stored at Cedar Crest, the Governor's mansion. Sebelius responded to the criticism, explaining that he meant for the game to be a lighthearted spoof and was not an endorsement of prison rape.Christopher, Hearne, Jr.
Soap game has some lather
, ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'', February 3, 2008, accessed June 4, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Drop The Soap Board games introduced in 2008 Roll-and-move board games Lawrence, Kansas Prison rape

Gameplay

Reaction

See also

References