A few enlightened prison experts have figured out that placement decisions shouldn’t be based on fixed rules about transgender people, such as the “genital rule” most prisons currently follow. Under this rule, a transgender inmate who has lived for many years as a woman is placed in a jail cell with other men, just because she hasn’t had genital surgery. And routine searches of transgender women are often carried out by male, rather than female, staff.
Imagine the risks these practices impose on transgender men and women. A 2007 study found that “[s]exual assault is 13 times more prevalent among transgender inmates, with 59 percent reporting being sexually assaulted.” (emphasis added).
Recently, the jail administrators at the county jail in Portland, Maine recognized the need to do something to protect transgender detainees and drafted a policy to guide those efforts. The Maine Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU LGBT Project, along with some help from Jennifer Levi at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, were given the opportunity to comment on the draft and the result is a great success. Although there are aspects of it we’d change, the basic structure is exactly right.
It puts into place a Transgender Review Committee that takes into account gender identity (someone’s internal sense of maleness or femaleness) before classifying transgender inmates. Verbal and physical harassment are explicitly prohibited Transgender inmates are allowed to state their preference for whether they’re searched by male or female guards. Inmates can dress and use names or pronouns that fit their gender identity. It’s an extraordinary improvement over the practices in most other jails and prisons. Mainers should be proud.
Hopefully other states will soon follow in Maine's footsteps.
Posts
3 comments:
I'm not sure what NH law is, but when I was in jail overnight, I was put in the men (I'm a trans man). It clearly still says F on my drivers license, but I didn't hear one word about my gender and they treated me like a man. That said, I was so nervous about being housed with men, but they put me in a single cell. I'm wondering if trans women get treated differently than transitioned trans men.
Anonymous-
I had a hard time finding info on how transmen are treated differently than transwomen in relation to prison specifically. However, I did read an interesting blog article (http://asweweresaying.blogspot.com/2010/02/male-privilege-for-transmen.html) that stated that women-to-men transpeople are treated better after their transition because of new-found male priveledge, whereas women-to-men transpeople are often treated worse (in the workplace and otherwise). I am not sure there is much data on this, but it is an interesting thought. What have your experiences been?
Trans men should be housed with other males and trans women should be housed with other female inmated. It doesn't matter what the genitals look like trans men are MEN trans women are WOMEN. Good to see that New Hampshire gets that.
Post a Comment