The human rights watch says 140,000 inmates are raped each year in jail. According to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, almost 15 percent of inmates have been sexually assaulted while in prison. Since sexual assaults often go unreported, these figures may be even higher in reality.

Did you know that:

- If you are raped while in jail, you are 10 times more likely to contract a deadly disease.

- There are more men raped in prisons then there are women who are not in jail and have been similarly assaulted.

- Most prison staff are not trained to deal with sexual assault situations.

- Many of the inmates suffer repeated assaults, and often receive no mental or physical treatment at all after being assaulted, even if it is reported.

You can protect yourself

You are not helpless in this situation. There are things you can do to protect yourself not only against jail rape, but against other violent assaults. In this case, your best weapon is knowledge. You can make sure jail rape NEVER happens to you.

You are going to need advice regarding your jail sentence, because it will most likely be the most traumatic experience of your life. Here are some things you should know before going into prison:

- Knowing what a heartcheck is. You’d better know what a heartcheck is before stepping foot inside a prison.

- Which group of inmates make the best friends, as well as the best protection.

- Knowing the right way to talk to guards and staff while not angering anyone. (if you do it wrong, you might anger other inmates, and you are as good as dead!)

- Getting along with your cellmates

To learn more about protecting yourself and surviving your jail/prison sentence, Click Here!

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