T. J. Parsell

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

He completed high school while in prison and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently working toward a Master of Fine Arts degree in film and television at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he was named a Reynolds Fellow in 2010.

Parsell worked in sales in the software industry from 1982 to 2002, employed by companies such as the New York City Transit Authority and DuPont. 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), 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.

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.