Life after abuse in prison

Brut America

️ Warning: Distressing themes ️ For years, they had to remain silent about being sexually abused while incarcerated. Now, a New York law is giving survivors one year to seek justice.

Transcript

00:00We're talking about women who don't have a choice.

00:04You're a survivor of sexual abuse.

00:08The new Adult Survivors Act gives you one year window to file suit.

00:13One year. So act now.

00:16There was a young lady under the desk.

00:18Julie's talking about experiencing.

00:20Giving fully talk to the officer.

00:22She did 22 years.

00:24If they say no, if they shout out, if they report it,

00:27they face very grave consequences many times.

00:31The bill signed by the governor today gives them one year to file.

00:34They can come forth with their story without fear of retribution.

00:39They were sexually abused.

00:41They lost their dignity.

00:43They lost their privacy.

00:45And their story is told here.

00:48Hundreds of people who were formerly incarcerated

00:58have accused New York State employees, such as prison guards,

01:01of sexual abuse while in prison.

01:03They're not able to sue the state through the Adult Survivors Act,

01:06regardless of the statute of limitations.

01:09For Brute, I met with one of them.

01:12I grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

01:15When I was 14, I went to foster care.

01:17At 22, I was in prison.

01:19So I had a lot of issues with trauma.

01:22I was incarcerated from the years 2002 to 2020.

01:29It's just, like, a place that people don't want to be

01:34or I think people should be.

01:36When I was two years into my sentence,

01:39I wasn't even sentenced yet.

01:41I still thought I had a chance to go home, possibly.

01:44But there was a woman, and she told me

01:49that I would have a hard time because I don't listen.

01:54She said, Jennifer, you don't listen.

01:59You're going to have a hard time.

02:01And if an officer tells you to get on your knees

02:05and suck his d***, you better do it.

02:08Because if you don't, that's a ticket.

02:15My name is Anna Call, and I'm a survivor's rights attorney.

02:19Bayview Correctional Facility was an all-women's prison

02:22in Chelsea, New York.

02:24During the time that it was open, you know,

02:27thousands of women were in prison there over the years,

02:30and they experienced what one can only imagine,

02:36a complete nightmare.

02:38I was in prison, and it was unconsensual

02:41because I'm an inmate.

02:43I was an inmate.

02:44So no matter what, it's like 100%

02:47is always going to be unconsensual.

02:49They were desperate to go home,

02:51desperate to get back to their families,

02:53start their lives over.

02:55And what ended up happening was,

02:58during the time they were at Bayview,

03:00they were sexually assaulted by multiple correctional officers

03:04who were tasked with supervising them.

03:07When it came to sexual assault,

03:10our laws were protecting the abusers more.

03:14The challenge is letting them know that

03:17now is the time that they have to do something about it.

03:20But it's a limited window.

03:21It's a limited amount of time.

03:23And that's why this is so important.

03:25It's important that women know the rights that they have

03:28before they lose them again.

03:34This is the ASA thing.

03:36High rates of sexual abuse of women in prison by officers

03:41is no secret.

03:43The new Adult Survivors Act gives you one year window

03:47to file suit.

03:49One year.

03:50So act now.

03:52We sat down like here, right here in this office,

03:55and I had my laptop,

03:57and I was having her go through the intake.

04:00And I knew right away she qualified for the case

04:03and that we wanted to move forward.

04:05But my main goal was for her to feel comforted and safe

04:10because it's such a vulnerable experience.

04:13It has been that people in my circumstance,

04:19it feels like you're guilty of doing something wrong.

04:23So a lot of that is guilt,

04:27and a lot of it you have to keep it silent

04:31because if you didn't,

04:34you will face more, more everything,

04:38more punishments behind it, period.

04:42So many of my clients tell me,

04:45I'm scared to talk about this because it traumatizes me.

04:49It's re-traumatizing every time I bring it up,

04:51every time I dig into that.

04:53So you're not alone in feeling that,

04:56and part of what we do here,

04:59we're litigating your case with you and for you,

05:01but we're also here to support you,

05:03and that's a big part of the whole process.

05:05It's very empowering, and that's why I want other women,

05:08other survivors, whoever,

05:10just to know that they can be also empowered

05:14to even speak their story

05:16because before we couldn't do that.

05:19You have so much that you can transform,

05:23and you're doing it,

05:24and we are privileged to sit and watch it happen.

05:28So thank you.

05:30Are you okay?

05:32Yeah.

05:33Let me get you a tissue.

05:34Are we good here?

05:35Yeah.

05:40Jennifer Fakou's case could take years to fully litigate

05:42and could be worth millions.

05:44The firm currently has over 250 cases similar to Jennifer's.

05:51Julie, you want to come over here?

05:53I'm going to do a TikTok today.

05:55Hey!

05:58Looks like we're 10 feet apart.

06:00Okay.

06:02You wasn't even going to see me.

06:04That was funny.

06:06Okay.

06:09Hello.

06:10Julie is reciting her poem today.

06:13It's called All I Ever Wanted.

06:16All right, Julie.

06:17All I ever wanted was to be held.

06:20All I ever got was broken like a nutshell.

06:23All I ever wanted was to have a family.

06:26All I ever got was separated unconditionally.

06:29All I ever wanted was justice without a price.

06:32All I ever got was raped with a smile.

06:34All I ever got still lies in front of me.

06:37All I ever wanted was to be free.

06:39Then I landed in a place actually called prison,

06:41and behold, the new me.

06:47Jennifer is a special client because she's a survivor.

06:51She's a fighter.

06:52She's turned something really awful that's happened to her

06:55into something very positive and constructive.

06:58Her continued outreach into the community

07:02of formerly incarcerated women,

07:04including currently incarcerated women,

07:07I think helps spread hope among those communities.

07:12She gives back to those communities,

07:14and she's always looking for a way

07:16to make herself a stronger, better person.

07:19I find that very admirable given her circumstances,

07:22and I'm hoping that in sharing her story,

07:25other similarly situated women can find hope

07:28in knowing that there is a chance for change.

07:31There is a chance for justice.

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