Alleged victims of sexual abuse while incarcerated hold rally in New York

Formerly incarcerated people who say they were sexually assaulted in New York prisons and jails held a rally for justice with their attorneys and supporters on Wednesday in front of the New York County Courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Tasha Beasley, who was imprisoned in Rikers Island, New York City's largest prison located in the Bronx, in the 1990s, said no one would listen to her when she told officials she was assaulted by a correction officer while she was in custody.

"When I was raped, I didn't have a microphone in front of me," Beasley said at the rally. "This is why this microphone sounds so good to me because it's my voice, now, that is being amplified."

The rally, which organizers say included 400 participants, commemorated the one-year anniversary of the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which allowed alleged sexual assault victims in New York to file for civil damages from Nov. 24, 2022, to Nov. 24, 2023, regardless of the statute of limitations.

More than 2,200 cases alleging sexual violence by correction officers were filed by formerly incarcerated women, according to attorneys who are representing alleged victims. Attendees at the rally demanded accountability and action from New York State and New York City in response to what they say was a decades-long pattern of abuse.

According to attorney Adam Slater, who is representing some of the alleged victims, 1,553 of the cases were filed against New York State for abuse that survivors claimed happened in state prisons, and 686 cases are suing New York City for alleged abuse at Rikers Island.

In a statement to ABC News, The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) said, in part, “DOCCS has zero tolerance for sexual abuse, sexual harassment and unauthorized relationships. The Department thoroughly investigates all reports of sexual victimization, including unauthorized relationships, and retaliation against any individuals who report incidents or cooperate with those investigations. … Individuals who violate Department rules are disciplined by the Department and when there is evidence that a crime was committed, DOCCS refers those cases for criminal prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law. ... The Department does not comment on pending litigation, and we have no further comment related to specific cases.”

New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse said she was disturbed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has not done more to seek justice for the alleged victims.

"The fact that we have continued to have the executive of our city say things like, 'Oh, well, this happened decades ago. It happened in the past,' as if there's no action to be taken now, is disgusting," Nurse said. "It shows a lack of respect and reverence for our women."

Adams' office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for a statement.

U.S. federal law and nearly all states criminalize any sexual relations between staff and inmates.

Donna Hylton, who served 27 years in prison at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, New York, said she is a survivor of sexual assault while incarcerated.

"We're going to continue to shame the state and the city for not acknowledging our pain, our trauma, our hurt, and you know damn well it happened," Hylton said. "Don't act like you don't hear us. You're going to see us because we're not stopping. And no matter what our differences are, we have one common goal: to let everyone know that you lie, you steal, you cheat, you rape, you abuse, you traumatize, you hurt, but then you call us monsters."

Slater, who won cases against the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America, said there are documented cases where survivors contracted STDs, including HIV. Slater claimed others were impregnated while some were forced to have abortions and others gave birth to children fathered by their abusers.

"Are the 2,200 people who were raped while incarcerated in New York less human or have fewer rights in the eyes of the city and the state?" Slater said. "Yes."

Beasley said she relives the trauma of sexual abuse every time she talks about it, but that will not stop her from sharing her story because she feels someone has to be held accountable.

"It happened to me, it happened to my children, it happened to my grandchildren," Beasley said. "Because I carried the pain, I carried the memories, and today I carry anger because there's no justice."

ABC News' Juju Chang, Sabina Ghebremedhin, Tenzin Shakya and Lizann Robinson contributed to this report.