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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A teenager in a private adult prison in Oklahoma, Matt was raped by his cellmate and another prisoner.
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Laci Marie* is a transgender woman who was first locked up as a child and has experienced years of sexual abuse behind bars.
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While working as a porter at a Texas state prison, Ivory was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a female corrections officer. He attempted to report the abuse, but was told that there was nothing that could be done since she was an officer and he was an inmate.
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Known to some as Clouded Running Horses, Peter is a bisexual man who was raped and held hostage at knife point for six hours in his cell by a prisoner at Pasquotank Correctional Institution, a state prison in North Carolina. Peter reported the abuse to officials, but the perpetrator was never disciplined.
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Derrick survived a sexual assault in a Florida prison — and the perpetrators got away with it. As a result of the abuse, Derrick struggles with depression, insomnia, and feelings of anger.