The accounts provided are the first hand testimonials of prisoner rape survivors.
The views expressed are those of the individual survivor/author, and not necessarily
the views of Just Detention International. Some of these stories are graphic, uncensored
accounts of actual rapes and surrounding circumstances. The language used may be
raw and include street slang.
- Alisha, Kentucky
At the age of 22, Alisha
was sent to prison in Kentucky where she was abused for months by a corrections
officer. Despite her fears, she reported the abuse, and was raped by two other corrections
officers in retaliation for speaking out.
- Anonymous, Colorado
A cellmate raped this young gay man. He was detained in a county jail, and he was later gang-raped by a
group of prisoners in a Colorado state prison.
- Anonymous, Texas
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.
- Bamby, California
A Latina transgender woman, Bamby was sexually assaulted at the age of 18, by another inmate at the Los Angeles County Jail.
- Bill, Connecticut
Two inmates raped Bill when he was in a Connecticut jail after being picked up on drug charges.
- Beverly, Texas
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.
- Cecilia, California
Held in jail for the weekend,
Cecilia, a transgender woman, was sexually assaulted in the gay and transgender
housing wing.
- Chance, California
Arrested during a high school
party when he was 18, Chance was beaten and repeatedly raped in an Indiana jail.
- Chris, Illinois
Chris describes the emotional and mental devastation that continues to torment him, a result of being raped shortly after his arrival in prison.
- Christopher, Texas
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.
- Chris, Texas
A cellmate sexually assaulted Chris at a Texas state prison. He now suffers from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and depression due to
the attack, and the prison has denied his requests for mental healthcare.
- Clifford, Oklahoma
Seven inmates gang-raped and tortured Clifford while incarcerated at a private prison in Oklahoma. Clifford reported
the abuse and has endured relentless retaliation as a result.
- Ivory, Texas
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.
- James, Texas
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.
- John, New York
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.
- Loretta, Virginia
While detained at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, a male corrections officer sexually
assaulted Loretta over a period of months. She reported the abuse, which led to the officer's conviction on sexual
misconduct charges. As a result, staff and inmates have retaliated against Loretta at the Virginia state prison where is now incarcerated.
- Lori, New York
A male inmate raped Lori while she was detained at a county jail in New York.
- Matt, Oklahoma
A teenager in a private adult prison in Oklahoma, Matt was raped by his cellmate and another prisoner.
- Patrick, Arizona
Two inmates raped Patrick in the shower of an Arizona state prison.
- Peter, North Carolina
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.
- Policarpio, California
A member of correctional medical staff sexually abused Policarpio at Kern Valley State Prison in California. The abuse caused him
to develop depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, but the administration has
denied him treatment.
- 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.
- Rebecca, Kentucky
While she was incarcerated at a federal work camp for a non-violent, drug-related
conviction, a corrections officer sexually assaulted Rebecca on a weekly basis for eight months. After reporting the assaults,
she was transferred to another prison farther away from her family.
- Richard, Texas
Richard is incarcerated in Texas, where he has been assaulted repeatedly after being
denied the special housing he obviously needs.
- Robin, Colorado
Robin was raped by an extradition agent while she was being extradited back to the US. Robin sued the
perpetrator's employer, Extraditions International, and the case was settled for
an undisclosed amount.
- Roderick, Texas
Like many new inmates, Roderick was pressured by gang members for sex in exchange for protection. When he refused, one gang orchestrated an attack on him, leading to years of physical and sexual abuse.
- Soaring Eagle, Texas
After being raped by two of her room mates at a Texas county jail, Soaring Eagle became
a Peer Educator to share her story and to help other prisoners. Her testimony is
dedicated to Rodney Hulin, a teenage Texas prisoner who killed himself after being
repeatedly raped in an adult prison.
- Stephen, New York
Stephen was brutally gang-raped after being arrested at a Quaker pray-in at the White House. He contracted HIV as a
consequence of the rape, and later died from an AIDS-related illness.
- Tabitha, New York
Tabitha is a transgender woman who has been sexually assaulted by fellow prisoners
at several men’s prisons throughout New York State. She has never gotten a response for reporting the abuse, and was even raped
once while trying to file a grievance.
- Toni Lynn, California
A corrections official seduced Toni Lynn, a transgender woman incarcerated in a California men's prison, but he quickly became controlling and abusive. Like many survivors, Toni Lynn tells of the shame and self-recrimination that resulted from the abuse.
- Valjean, Indiana
Valjean Royal is a transgender woman who has survived multiple sexual assaults since she was first
detained as a 17-year-old. She has endured sexual abuse in county jails and in state
and federal prisons.