Witness to Mass Incarceration

Evie Litwok; Zahara Green

Keywords: Lived Experience; Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA); Secure Facilities

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed in 2003 with the intent to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in confinement. In 2019, 16 years after this law passed, we still hear story after story of sexual abuse in confinement. Sexual abuse in confinement is persistent primarily due to the culture of prisons, but with the stories of survivors–our stories–we plan to change the narrative and culture around sexual abuse in confinement. Witness to Mass Incarceration (Witness) staff and the Witness Network are formerly incarcerated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) survivors of sexual abuse in confinement. Our collective experience has enabled us to identify gaps in DOJ-certified PREA auditors’ understanding of prison culture and improve the understanding of the long-term effects of sexual abuse in prison. We compiled this report in order to provide recommendations for eliminating sexual abuse in confinement. [Summary adapted from resource.]

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Sexual Violence Against LGBTI People in Confinement: There is No #MeToo Movement Behind Bars