March 23, 2001
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) – The Florida Legislature is considering a bill aimed at protecting female jail inmates from sexual abuse.
The measure would make it a crime for any corrections officer to have sex with an inmate and would provide counseling for incarcerated women about sexual abuse and assault.
Several inmates spoke at a rally Thursday in Tallahassee. Cassandra Collins, who has become an activist on the issue since her release from the Gadsen County Jail, said that she bribed a guard to keep him away from her and was raped at gunpoint after she ran out of money.
The witnesses included Susan McDougal, the one-time confidante of Bill and Hillary Clinton who was imprisoned for refusing to testify against them.