Survivor Stories
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Johanna, California
Johanna, California
Johanna was raped by her work supervisor while serving time at a California state prison. After reporting her rapist, Johanna faced severe retaliation, and was eventually transferred to a prison in Nevada. A member of JDI’s Survivor Council, Johanna is a leading advocate in the fight to ensure the safety of incarcerated people.
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Trish, Oklahoma
Trish, Oklahoma
Trish is a transgender woman who has been sexually abused repeatedly during her 30 years of being incarcerated in men’s prisons in Oklahoma.
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Kristal, Connecticut
Kristal, Connecticut
Kristal was sexually assaulted in a holding cell by a marshal tasked with transporting her to court.
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Alairis, Louisiana
Alairis, Louisiana
Alairis was sexually assaulted repeatedly by her work supervisor. After she reported the assault, prison officials berated her and transferred her to a new facility, forcing her out of her bachelor’s degree program.
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Rafael, New York
Rafael, New York
After serving 23 years without incident, Rafael encountered a corrections officer who conducted abusive pat searches on inmates. Despite Rafael’s effort to report the officer, nothing was done.
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JDI has made only minor edits for spelling and clarity. Please note that some of these stories are graphic and may be difficult to read.
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Tabitha is a transgender woman who has been sexually assaulted by fellow prisoners at several men’s prisons throughout New York State. She has never gotten a response for reporting the abuse, and was even raped once while trying to file a grievance.
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Katrina is a transgender woman who has been sexually abused repeatedly by staff and other prisoners in a men’s prisons. One of Katrina’s attackers had been placed in her cell despite her repeated warnings that he was a threat.
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Kristal was sexually assaulted in a holding cell by a marshal tasked with transporting her to court.
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Ernest was sexually abused repeatedly by another prisoner while serving time in a Florida prison. Instead of giving him help, prison officials put Ernest in solitary confinement.
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An openly gay man, Sidney has been repeatedly sexually abused in Texas prisons. He was first raped at the age of 17 while housed in an adult facility. Later, like many other inmates, he was forced to enter into a sexually abusive relationship with a more powerful inmate in exchange for protection from further violence. Sidney continues to suffer from the trauma of the sexual assaults and fears it will happen again.