A male inmate who claimed to be a female was accused of rape after he transferred to a women’s prison and sexually assaulted a bio female inmate.
Janiah Monroe, who was born Andre Patterson and is listed as Andre Patterson by the Illinois Dept. of Corrections, was convicted of killing two people in 2005.
Patterson was charged as an adult and transferred from a juvenile facility to the Cook County Jail, where he promptly strangled his cellmate.
Prison records shows he is serving time for 11 felonies, including second degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, three counts of aggravated battery against a police officer, 2 counts of aggravated arson, and more.
Despite his history of violence, the 30-year-old was transferred to Logan Correctional Center from a men’s prison on the orders of U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Rosenstengel — an Obama appointee, who ordered the Department of Corrections to give transgender inmates hormones and stop making housing assignments based on genitals or physical appearance.
Shortly after his arrival at the women’s prison in Lincoln, a Jane Doe filed a complaint, alleging that Patterson raped her and that she was wrongly punished when she complained.
The female inmate said Patterson was housed in her cell, where he “easily overpowered” her and sexually assaulted her in June 2019.
Other women at the facility filed complaints against Patterson under the Prison Rape Elimination Act. He also threatened staff and inmates.
Patterson reportedly stopped taking female hormones after the transfer to the women’s prison.
Corrections officers decided to transfer Patterson back to a men’s prison in June. But the governor’s office reportedly stepped in and overruled the transfer back to the men’s prison in Pontiac.
The governor’s office didn’t respond to an email from Illinois Times asking for comment.
The female inmate has since filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Patterson is being housed in segregation at the female prison for his own safety. He is scheduled for parole in 2051.
