Nina Siegal

About the author: Nina Siegal is a freelance journalist who lives in New York. She writes for a variety of publications, including Ms., San Francisco Magazine, New York Times, and Progressive.

The vast majority of incarcerated women are subjected to sexual abuse on a regular basis. Some guards and administrators assume that when women are imprisoned they also give up the freedom to say no to sexual advances. Female inmates should be provided with a confidential forum where they can report abuse without fear of reprisal. The perpetrators must be prosecuted and the victims must be compensated for the pain and suffering they experienced as a result of the abuse.

Robin Lucas was asleep on a rickety bunk on Sept. 22, 1995, when she heard the steel door click and saw the silhouettes of...