Flippant and ill-informed attitudes about inmates and their right to be free from sexual violence are major obstacles to ending this type of abuse. That is why JDI has made it part of its mission to ensure that prisoner rape is described accurately – as a crime and a devastating human rights violation.

Many people still believe that inmates deserve to be sexually assaulted. Others think that prisoner rape somehow deters crime, or that prisoner rape is irrelevant to their lives, because it happens behind bars. Some even think that prisoner rape is funny. Each of these ideas is incorrect – dangerously so – but the misconceptions thrive because the general public knows little about the real story of sexual abuse in detention.

In the public debate, prisoners are silent and invisible. Most inmates come from marginalized, low-income communities and people of color are vastly over-represented among them. They cannot stage public relations campaigns to counter injustices on late-night television or on the big screen.

But there is a problem. Prisoner rape really happens, every day and across the nation, shattering the lives of thousands of people.

To bring to light the reality of rape behind bars and its impact on the community, JDI offers first-hand accounts of abuse from survivors and succinct policy analysis. In media outlets that span the political spectrum, JDI puts a human face on sexual abuse in detention, gives voice to survivors, and transforms misconceptions so that real solutions can be put in place.