T. J. Parsell
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Timothy J. "T. J." Parsell (born July 12, 1960) is an American writer, filmmaker, and human rights activist committed to ending prison rape. He is best known for his book '' Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison'', which details the sexual violence he experienced while serving a four-year prison sentence as a teenager.


Early life and education

A native of
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, Michigan, Parsell was incarcerated at age 17 for holding up a Fotomat photo developing booth with a toy gun. During the four years he remained in prison, older inmates sexually assaulted him numerous times. He completed high school while in prison and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from
St. Francis College , mottoeng = My God, My All , established = , type = Private college , chancellor = , president = Miguel Martinez-Saenz , provost = Jennifer Lancas ...
in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently working toward a
Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
degree in film and television at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he was named a Reynolds Fellow in 2010.


Career

Parsell worked in sales in the software industry from 1982 to 2002, employed by companies such as the New York City Transit Authority and
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. He left that field to write and pursue a career advocating against prison rape. In 2006, Parsell authored the book '' Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison'' (
Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional of ...
), which has received praise in several reviews. Additionally, he contributed to ''Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex'' (Bloomsbury 2008). He has served as president of Stop Prisoner Rape and is a consultant to the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. He has published numerous articles, including "Unsafe Behind Bars," a 2005 opinion piece in '' The New York Times''.


Works


Publications

Parsell has written or contributed to the following publications: *''Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison''. Parsell, T. J., 2006,
Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional of ...
, , 336 pgs. *''Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex''. Sussman, Ellen, 2008,
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
USA, , 304 pgs. *"Unsafe behind bars." Parsell, T. J., 2005, '' The New York Times''.


Documentaries

Parsell is currently working on a documentary about sexual violence in prisons. His other cinematographic works include: 'Sexual Safety Behind Bars, Inmate Orientation Videos for NYS DOCCS for male and female videos "Raise the Age Campaign" Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility in New York State, (NY Center for Juvenile Justice) 2012 *''Avoiding Sexual Assault in Prison'', National Institute of Corrections, 2006 *''CRISIS, Sickle Cell Anemia'', 2008 (edited by Parsell, directed by
Nigel Noble Nigel Noble (born 1943) is an English sound mixer, film director and producer. He won an Academy Award in 1982 for ''Close Harmony'' in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject. Seven years later his film ''Voices of Sarafina!'' was scr ...
) *''Dog Sweat'', 2008 (co-editors Peter & Vandy) *''The Making of Taxi to the Darkside'', 2008 (directed by
Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time". Gibney's works as director include '' ...
) *''Prison Rape, Sex in Prison, Teen Prison Nightmare'' *''Teenage & Homeless in America'' (edited by Parsell, directed by Nigel Noble)


References


External links


TJParsell.com
a ''New York Times'' op-ed article by Parsell {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsell, T. J. Living people American non-fiction writers American activists 1960 births Prison rape in the United States Violence against men in North America