Survivor Stories
-
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.
Read more -
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.
Read more -
Kristal, Connecticut
Kristal, Connecticut
Kristal was sexually assaulted in a holding cell by a marshal tasked with transporting her to court.
Read more -
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.
Read more -
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.
Read more
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.
-
Linda’s 17-year old son, Rodney Hulin, killed himself after being continuously raped and abused in Texas prisons.
-
Zera is a transgender woman who is housed in a men’s prison. She has endured multiple sexual assaults and beatings — and received no help from staff.
-
Christopher is a prisoner in a Texas state prison who has been sexually assaulted multiple times. He has often been forced to seek protection from one perpetrator in order to avoid further assaults.
-
Cornelius is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who was sexually assaulted at knifepoint by an older inmate when he was 18 years old. He was too afraid to tell, and kept the abuse a secret. In 2004, Cornelius was sexually assaulted again by another prisoner and contracted HIV. In his testimony, Cornelius describes the pain and hopelessness he has felt and how, with JDI’s help, he is coping.
-
A transgender woman serving time in a men’s prison in Oklahoma, Heather* has been regularly subjected to degrading and abusive cross-gender strip searches.