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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This transgender woman housed in a men’s prison in Texas has been repeatedly sexually abused, extorted, and forced into sexual slavery by prison gangs. Officers have denied her repeated requests to be transferred to protective custody housing.
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A male inmate raped Lori while she was detained at a county jail in New York.
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When I was younger, I used to take walks at night. On several occasions, the same sheriff’s deputy would stop me — asking me friendly questions. But once he realized I was gay, he became threatening.
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My name is Jayde and I am a mixed race, Native American, lesbian, transwoman. My story sheds light on corrupt and predatory law enforcement officers, who are supposed to protect, not victimize. The incident started while I was walking into a Colorado park at night, in 2002.
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A female corrections officer regularly groped and verbally harassed Beverly during pat searches at the Crain Unit, a women’s prison run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. After reporting the abuse, she was transferred to a maximum security prison far away from her family.