LGBT inmates face unusually high risk of sexual assault in prison

[Natasha]

LGBT inmates face unusually high risk of sexual assault in prison

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7733&catid=&volume_id=398&issue_id=411&volume_num=43&issue_num=13
Meghann Myers
12/24/2008

It's been 60 years since the United Nations General Assembly issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people. Yet prisoners are often denied the most basic protections of the law. Rape is still a brutal reality in prison, a problem that disproportionately affects LGBT inmates.

[jenny_]

Thats so sad.

Though i think it could probably have been reasonably guessed without needing to do the research.

[tekla]

Yeah, like the sun's gonna come up in the East you can predict it.

[Lisbeth]

It still helps to really know without guessing.

"It's been asked more than once in training sessions that if transgender inmates are at such risk, why are they still allowed to be transgender within the prison environment?"

"Then, all too often, they are placed in isolation cells usually reserved as punitive measures."

[jenny_]

I know its better to do research and be certain about stuff.  But when no research has been done, thats so often used as an excuse to not tackle a problem, even if there is anecdotal evidence supporting it.

[iFindMeHere]

so take a disadvantaged town and build a ->-bleeped-<--tentiary!

[goingdown]

so take a disadvantaged town and build a ->-bleeped-<--tentiary!

Actually in mid and late 80's the state of California had a place that could be described like that.

[goingdown]

It was mainly for pre-op transwomen but also for effeminite gays. But later it was closed and pre-op transwomen are currently in different male prisons in California. California prison placement for transwomen is currently strickly based on status of external genitalia. (Vaginoplasty done or pxxxx still exists.)

[jenny_]

What do they do with intersex people?  Or do they just not commit crimes?

[tekla]

I don't know about England, but you really, really want to try to stay out of the California Prison-Industrial Complex if you can.  ->-bleeped-<- or not.  San Quentin, Folsom, Solidad, Pelican Bay - not places you want to be, world famous as being very, very, bad places to be, no matter who you are.

[goingdown]

But cis-women and post-op transwomen have a quit nice prisons in California.
At least prison,s in Chowchilla are nice using the relative standars.

[jenny_]

It wasn't one of life ambitions to go to prison!  From what i've read british (and rest of western world) prisions are better places to be than american jails.  But still not pleasant.  And worryingly high suicide and self-harm rates, as well as drug abuse, and physical/sexual abuse.

I'm quite happy where i am!

[tekla]

They are not, I don't know what your reading, but like all prisons, male and female, they are run by gangs based on race, and its pretty brutal stuff, not to mention the weather.  But hey, if you want to do the time, all you have to do is the crime - and get caught.

[jenny_]

I confess to reading newspapers with a slight (or not so slight) anti-american bias.  That could be where i heard it from!

Hmmm... i don't plan on ever getting caught... mwahahaha!

[tekla]

No bias needed to find out that your don't want to be in a prison here, or even a county jail.

[goingdown]

I think that people do not anywhere want to be in prison. And county jails are usually worse. ( Maricopa, AZ for example)

But CCWF and VSPW are both places that women describe sometimes ok. It is different for example in some other US states.

[tekla]

Yeah Sheriff Joe the A-Hole, mostly, at least in Cali, if you get less than a year you go to the county, but anything from a year and a day up goes to the state system.

[tekla]

I'm sure there are lots of insane people in prison, but I've been in (as a visitor/teacher) and its no place I want to be.

[tekla]

Well, your welcome to do some crime and join her, however the joke is, California is not bad, most places are much worse, anyplace down South, you might as well die in a shootout before you go to someplace like Angola, or to SingSing or Attica.

[tekla]

Where are these 'nice prisons' I'm kind of doubting it, and those I listed are in the South or East Coast.