D.C. Jail Establishes New Procedures For Transgender Inmates

[Butterfly]

D.C. Jail Establishes New Procedures For Transgender Inmates
Washington City Paper
By Jason Cherkis
Feb. 20, 2009


http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/02/20/dc-jail-establishes-new-procedures-for-transgender-inmates/


Today, the D.C. Department of Corrections issued a "program statement" establishing new procedures in how it classifies and houses transgendered inmates at the D.C. Jail. This is a huge step, and a surprisingly progressive step for the D.C. Jail. In a letter obtained by Washington City Paper, AG Peter Nickles wrote to to the D.C. Prisoners' Project of the new regs:

"Pursuant to this policy, the District Will be one of only a few jurisdictions in the nation to permit transgender inmates to be housed according to their gender identity in appropriate cases, and to allow transgender inmates to initiate hormone therapy while in custody.

[Kayden]

Wow.  That's great to hear.  I can't even imagine what kind of atrocities transpeople suffer in jails/prisons because they are put in the wrong sex/gender area.

A few horrid flashes from a Law and Order: SVU episode come to mind, but I don't know whether or not to trust TV shows on that.