WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, IW Features, the grassroots storytelling program of Independent Women’s Forum, released the eleventh episode of its docu-series, “Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons,” featuring female inmate Channel Johnson.
As a victim of sexual trafficking from a young age, Johnson told IW Features she never expected to experience sexual trauma while being housed at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
However, due to California’s gender self-identification law in prison known as SB 132, or “The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act,” male inmates, such as a trans-identifying male inmate named Jonathan Robertson, can transfer into the cells of vulnerable and traumatized women.
Johnson told IW Features that she was manipulated into a sexual relationship with Robertson, who was transferred to her room at Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF). Robertson went on to harass and threaten her and her family, according to Johnson.
Now, Johnson has turned to the legal system to stand up for women behind bars. Johnson is a plaintiff in a lawsuit brought by Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) challenging California’s radical SB 132. Lauren Bone, WoLF’s legal director, filed the lawsuit in 2021 on behalf of female inmates against the state of California in an effort to overturn SB 132.
“The men that are trying to turn into a woman, they come over here posing a threat,” Johnson told IW Features “It’s not okay. I’m not for it [men in women’s prisons] no more. At first, I was for it, but I’m not for it no more.”
Watch Channel Johnson’s story HERE.
Andrea Mew, IW Features Manager at Independent Women’s Forum and co-producer of the series, said: “Channel has endured more trauma in her life than anyone should ever face, and to see her manipulated in a space meant for rehabilitation is beyond devastating—it’s an outrage. Housing biological men in women’s prisons strips vulnerable women like Channel of the dignity and protection they deserve. Her bravery in coming forward isn’t just inspiring; it’s a wake-up call. Americans cannot continue to ignore the voices of women who are forced to endure this kind of harm behind bars. Women in prison deserve real safety, not policies that put them at greater risk.”
Amie Ichikawa, Independent Women’s Forum ambassador, a former inmate, and founder of Woman II Woman, a support group for incarcerated women, said: “Channel’s story is the exact nightmare that I knew would become reality when the highest level of male manipulators were introduced into the women’s prisons. This is the most horrific step backwards in women’s rights of our lifetime. Some may feel far removed from this because they don’t think it is directly affecting them but the truth is that Channel is us and we are her. Until incarcerated women are seen as humans and valued expect for things to get worse.”
BACKGROUND:
As more states allow men who identify as women into women’s prisons, few are aware of the harmful fallout. Women with histories of trauma and domestic abuse are forced to share their most private and intimate spaces with intact males—many of whom are violent, sexual predators serving time for heinous crimes.
Allowing male offenders to reside in women’s prisons is dangerous and unfair. Put simply, it’s cruel and unusual punishment. These stories stand as a testament to why biological sex matters, especially in institutional settings. Incarcerated women need and deserve female-only spaces. Anything less is a violation of their most basic human rights.
The eradication of single-sex prisons is harming female inmates.
In this documentary mini-series, IW Features brings voices to light who detail the untold, gruesome story about what’s been happening to female inmates behind closed doors. As more and more prison systems allow males to declare themselves “women” and opt to be housed in facilities meant for females, the voices of those most affected deserve to be heard.
Watch the Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons trailer HERE. Each episode of this ongoing short documentary series produced by IW Features, varying from 5 to 10 minutes in length, will be released individually over the coming weeks, with episodes available to the public for free on YouTube.
The “Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons” series has also highlighted the following stories:
- Male Rights “Overrode Ours”: Former Inmate Jennifer Barela Exposes Sex Discrimination After Women’s Prisons Welcomed Men
- Exposing ‘Trans Supremacy’ Inside Women’s Prisons | Amie Ichikawa’s Story
- “Our Sentence Wasn’t To Be Abused,” Says Female Rape Alissa Kamholz Victim Forced to Live Behind Bars With a Man
- Prison Guard Hector Bravo Ferrel Resigns After ‘Immoral, Dangerous’ Trans Policies
- Sexual Assault Victim Evelyn* Shares ‘Trauma’ of Prison’s Transgender Policies
- Female Inmate Dana Gray Sexually Harassed By Fully-Intact Male Inmate Speaks Out From Behind Bars
- Retired Law Enforcement Official Richard Valdemar Calls Out ‘Bigotry’ of Prison Self-ID Policies
- Female Inmate Tomiekia Johnson Blasts Policies Forcing Her to Live With Men
- Inmate Cathleen Quinn Loses Parole After Objecting to Trans Prison Policy
- Longtime Prison Teacher Alicia Beckmann Quits After Male Inmates Were Transferred to Minnesota Women’s Facility
- Seattle Jail Nurse Olivia* Quits After ‘Unsafe’ Trans Policies Force Female Inmates to Share Space With Predatory Men
- Female Inmate Crystal Jackson Says Washington’s Trans Prison Policy Has Robbed Her of Her Religious Freedom
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