Transgender and Transsexual Prisoners

Definitions

Though similar, transgenderism and transsexualism are not quite the same. Transsexualism, technically known as gender dysphoria, is a recognized medical condition in which an individual who was defined as belonging to one sex at birth later expresses a very strong desire to live as a member of the opposite sex. Individuals diagnosed as transsexual often seek hormonal and surgical intervention to assist them in living as members of the opposite sex. Transgenderism is a much vaguer concept, which may refer to individuals who merely refuse to identify socially and politically with one or the other gender. Transgender individuals may also be preoperative transsexuals. In either case, transsexualism and transgenderism are distinct from, and should not be confused with, homosexuality.

Hormone therapy for transsexuals has the effect of reducing some of the secondary sex characteristics of their birth sex and increasing the characteristics of their identified sex. For example, an individual declared female at birth who is taking male hormones will exhibit increased musculature, deepening of voice, and beard growth. An individual declared male at birth who is taking female hormones will exhibit some feminization and possibly breast development. Most transsexuals undergo some form of hormone therapy, which is generally continued for life.

Transsexuals who wish to change their appearance more may undergo a number of different surgical sex-reassignment procedures. Individuals declared male at birth who seek to live as women may exercise such surgical options as breast augmentation, the removal of the penis and testicles, and the creation of a vagina and labia. These surgeries have a relatively high success rate. Those who have been declared female at birth but wish to live as men may elect to have a hysterectomy and/or mastectomy. The surgical procedures currently used to create a penis (phalloplasty) are complex and are often not successful. Many transsexual individuals live in their reassigned sex with little or no surgical intervention.

Trans Offenders

Trans people may come to the attention of police more than other members of society for several reasons. One factor may be that some, particularly those identified as male at birth who are living as females, may be visibly recognizable as “different.” Identification paperwork that is incongruent with outward appearance may also arouse police suspicion. It has been suggested that the social stigmatization of transsexualism, which often leads to an inability to hold regular employment and drug use, combines with the need to self-fund expensive hormone treatment and surgery to contribute to the relatively high proportion of trans people involved in crime, particularly prostitution. These factors, added to transgender and transsexual individuals' unusually high risk of self-harm and sexual assault, make prison policy regarding trans inmates a particularly important area for consideration.

Management of Trans Prisoners

Several interrelated issues are involved in the management of transgender and transsexual prisoners. The major issues include the choice of institution and access to hormonal or surgical intervention.

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