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.

  • 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.

  • John was a teenager when he was detained at a county jail for a probation violation, where another inmate attempted to rape him. When he was later incarcerated at a New York state prison, John experienced further sexual abuse.

  • James was sexually assaulted many times by his cellmate while corrections officials turned a blind eye. He was only able to escape his abuser by telling staff that he was suicidal.

  • While he was in federal custody for non-violent drug charges, Carlos was sexually assaulted by inmates at two different facilities. As an openly gay man with a history of sexual abuse as a child, Carlos was at high risk for being targeted by predators.

  • An insulin dependent diabetic, James has been sexually assaulted by staff and inmates in state and federal prisons. Most recently, he was gang-raped in a Texas prison. He filed a report, but no investigation was conducted as James couldn’t identify the perpetrators.