When Freedom is Taken, So is Protection: The Hidden Exploitation of the Incarcerated

There’s a truth most people don’t think about when someone goes to prison.

When a person loses their freedom, they also lose layers of protection that the rest of us take for granted. They can’t walk into a bank. They can’t verify information easily. They can’t always protect their identity. And they often have to rely on others to handle their money, their accounts, and even their personal affairs.

That dependence creates opportunity. And not always the good kind.

Behind the walls, and even outside them, there are real stories of people being taken advantage of. Some are subtle. Others are outright theft.

This isn’t hypothetical.

In one federal case, former correctional officers Martins Tochukwu Chidiobi and Lawrence Onyesonwu were sentenced after stealing inmates’ personal information and using it in a fraud scheme. They accessed names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers from individuals who had no ability to protect themselves, then used that information to move money through fraudulent accounts.👉 Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/former-correctional-officers-sentenced-three-years-federal-prison-using-inmates-stolen

In another case, a corrections officer in Pennsylvania used an internal prison database to access inmate identities and use that information in a fraud scheme. The same system designed to track and manage incarcerated individuals became the tool used to exploit them.👉 Read more: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/charges-corrections-officer-at-pa-state-prison-had-sexual-relationships-with-inmates-used-work-computer-database-in-fraud-scheme/

Exploitation is not always financial. Sometimes, it looks like relationships.

When someone is incarcerated, the balance of power is not equal. Staff members control movement, access, privileges, and, in many ways, a person’s daily reality. That imbalance makes any relationship between staff and an incarcerated individual inherently complicated, and often exploitative.

There have been multiple documented cases of correctional staff engaging in inappropriate or illegal relationships with incarcerated individuals. In some instances, these relationships involved coercion, manipulation, or an exchange of favors for emotional or physical access.

One widely reported example involved Ray Garcia, a former federal prison warden who was convicted of sexually abusing incarcerated women under his supervision. His position gave him authority, but it also created opportunity, and it was ultimately abused.👉 Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/ninth-and-tenth-fci-dublin-correctional-officers-charged-sexual-abuse-female-inmates

Even when relationships are framed as “consensual,” the reality is more complex. When one person holds power over another’s safety, freedom, or privileges, true consent becomes difficult to define.

This is not about isolated incidents or individual failure. It is about recognizing how systems of control can create environments where boundaries are easier to cross and harder to challenge.

At its core, this kind of exploitation is about power, who has it, who doesn’t, and what happens when it is misused.

Exploitation doesn’t only come from inside the system. It also comes from outside, often disguised as help.

Outside the system, exploitation takes a different shape.

Families, friends, or partners sometimes gain access to an incarcerated person’s finances and misuse it. Money meant for support disappears. Accounts get drained. Trust gets broken in ways that go far beyond dollars.

Then there are predatory services. Companies that promise legal help, sentence reductions, or special programs. They charge desperate individuals or their families for services that are misleading, unnecessary, or simply false.

As reported by The Marshall Project, incarcerated people and their families are frequently targeted by companies promising legal assistance, sentence reductions, or access to special programs. Many of these services charge significant fees while offering little to no real impact, turning desperation into profit.👉 Read more: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2019/08/09/money-making-schemes-that-ensnare-prisoners-and-their-families

Hope becomes a product. And people pay for it. This isn’t about painting everyone as a victim or ignoring personal responsibility. It’s about recognizing vulnerability where it exists.

When someone is incarcerated, their ability to protect themselves is limited. That’s not an opinion. That’s a structural reality.

And when vulnerability meets opportunity, exploitation often follows.

The conversation we need to have is not just about crime and punishment. It’s also about accountability, ethics, and awareness.

Because exploitation in this space often goes unnoticed, unreported, or dismissed.

So what can be done?

Awareness is the first layer of protection.

Families need to understand the responsibility they carry when managing someone else’s finances. Systems need stronger safeguards. And incarcerated individuals need education about their rights, their resources, and the risks they face.

Programs that focus on emotional literacy, financial awareness, and personal accountability can help close some of these gaps. Not by removing all risk, but by strengthening the individual within the system.

At the end of the day, incarceration should not mean open season for exploitation.

Accountability should exist on all sides.

Because losing freedom should never mean losing your right to be protected from harm.