Survivor Stories

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.

  • Charlie was sexually abused by a female corrections officer at a Georgia state prison. He reported the abuse, and faced retaliation from staff as a result.

  • Rodney is an openly gay man who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by inmates in two Louisiana jails while serving time for check fraud. He was sold into sexual slavery from one prisoner to another and was forced to abandon his male identity as his only way to survive.

  • A power-obsessed prison worker abused Jan and many other inmates for years before he was caught. Years later, Jan and hundreds of female state prisoners settled a class action suit with Michigan for over $100 million after a jury found that prison officials for years ignored cases of rape, sexual advances, and groping by staff.

  • Matthew was raped by his cellmate. After years of suffering alone, Matthew reached out to his local rape crisis center and, with the help of two dedicated victim advocates, is on the path to healing.

  • A member of correctional medical staff sexually abused Policarpio at Kern Valley State Prison in California. The abuse caused him to develop depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, but the administration has denied him treatment.