An inmate at Minnesota’s Shakopee women’s prison says she’s been traumatized by the state’s policy allowing transgender-identifying males to be housed alongside female prisoners—calling her experience “the worst time I’ve ever had to live through.”
Jamie Ali, who is currently incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility–Shakopee, spoke to Alpha News by phone and shared concerns about her mental health, physical safety, and what she calls repeated failures by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to protect vulnerable women.
“I am a survivor of sexual assault. I’ve been raped three times,” Ali said. “I also experienced domestic violence growing up and in my previous relationships so the whole thing being here with these men has been a nightmare.”
Ali said the state’s 2023 transgender policy has caused lasting psychological harm in the form of panic attacks, and the presence of biologically male inmates has forced her to isolate—even from beneficial rehabilitation programs.
“I withdrew from every single one of my classes because there are transgenders in them and it’s very traumatic,” she said. “I’ve been having panic attacks since I’ve got here.”
Allegations of bottled semen
Ali made a disturbing claim about one inmate, Sean Windingland, who she said was previously housed in Shakopee and later transferred back to a men’s prison.
“Upon them searching his room they found bottles filled with semen,” Ali alleged. “He was storing it to, I guess, get IPs (Imprisoned Persons) pregnant … or to give to them so they could then therefore try to impregnate their self.”
Windingland, Ali explained, had been “charged with molesting his six-year-old twin daughters.” She questioned how he was ever approved for transfer. “How in the hell would that have been appropriate to put him in all woman’s prison? I mean somebody make it make sense.”
She described isolating herself from the general population, saying: “There’s been many nights that I don’t go to meals. I stay in my room.”
Ali said that she regularly encounters fellow inmate and biological male Bradley Sirvio, who is serving a life sentence for murder and now goes by the name Aurora.
“He is faced in a living unit across from me so I see him a lot,” Ali said.
She alleged that Sirvio described graphic sexual exchanges with female inmates: “He said I will let you guys [perform sex acts] if I can get a wig.”
Alpha News previously reported that Sirvio was among the first biological males transferred to Shakopee following the 2023 settlement of a lawsuit filed by former inmate Christina Lusk.
Former GED instructor Alicia Beckmann, who left her position after the policy change, told Alpha News the presence of inmates like Sirvio has “created an unsafe environment” and “re-traumatized” many incarcerated women.
Easy access makes Ali uneasy
Ali said her anxiety is driven by the apparent ease with which male inmates can transfer by self-identifying. “I can just say that and come here and do anything I want to,” she said. “So how do I not know that one of these men that claims to identify as a female don’t just say [that] to get here and then I become raped? That’s my biggest fear.”
She said she plans to file a lawsuit upon her release.
“As soon as I get on the other side of the fence—whether released through the charge being dropped or work release—I’m going to throw up, literally throw up, and then start sobbing and then find an attorney to represent me,” stated Ali.
Male inmate gets breast implants in men’s prison
Earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to Alpha News that Stillwater prisoner Marco Hanlon, who identifies as a “transgender woman,” has received breast implants. Hanlon was charged with criminal sexual conduct for molesting his five-year-old cousin.
According to court documents, Hanlon has received hormone therapy for years. Alpha News asked the DOC for comment and if taxpayers are footing the bill. The DOC responded by saying, “We are unable to confirm any of the information that you seek.”
Department of Corrections responds
In response to questions from Alpha News, Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesman Aaron Swanum said the allegation that a transgender inmate stored bottles of semen in his cell was “unsubstantiated.”
He said that Sirvio has “no discipline related to inappropriate behavior” while at Shakopee, though further details would require a records request.
Swanum said there are currently two men who identify as transgender women housed at the facility and emphasized that “the safety and security of all our incarcerated individuals is always our priority.”
“During the intake process incarcerated individuals are aware of the reporting process regarding their safety and security which is to immediately notify staff of legitimate threats to their safety,” Swanum said.
He added that housing decisions are made in accordance with DOC policy 202.045, which accounts for “a wide variety of factors with safety and security as the preeminent considerations.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
