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My name is ______ and I am 23 years old and although my past criminal record isn't at its best, at heart I'm still a great kid!

After being locked up for about six months, I suffered from something many young males would hate to speak on and that's rape. I was raped at Eastern Mississippi Correctional Facility in Meridian, MS. I was beat brutally and faced several facial and rectum injuries from this attack. I was raped, robbed, and assaulted by several other prisoners.

I was held hostage due to the attack in a cell. I was threatened with knives and tormented by these inmates for several hours.

I was raped from 11:30pm @nite until 3:30am in the morning by one other prisoner. As he raped me continuously all I could do was cry because one false move and I knew this guy would take my life. After being a victim of rape by another male I am suffering still from anxiety, depression and stress issues because of this attack.

I fault the reason that I'm in prison today. If I had one wish I would wish that I never violated the law and shoplifting, which is what got me in prison. I've always wanted to live a normal life and hang out with friends and enjoy.

But due to this tragic incident that happened to me all I want to do is speak out to others that are suffering from what I went through and let them know it's okay to speak up and tell someone because no one should be violated of their sexual personal space.

I was hurt very badly and sometimes I feel like it's my fault but at the end of the day I know it wasn't.

Again my name is ______ and I too was a victim of rape.

This blog post was adapted from a handwritten letter the victim sent to the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û. Click here to read the complete letter.

Today, the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Law Offices of Elizabeth Alexander filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of prisoners at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF), describing the for-profit prison as hyper-violent, grotesquely filthy and dangerous. Without sufficient staff to protect prisoners, rapes, beatings, and stabbings are rampant.

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