Correctional facilities are witnessing a surge in the number of women and those who identify as transgender due to post-conviction barriers, stiffer drug sentencing laws, and comprehensive law enforcement. Statistics indicate that the number of women prisoners has increased seven times from 27 378 in 1980 to 222,455 in 2019 (The Sentencing Project, 2020). The same case applies to transgender with noting that they are twice more likely to be incarcerated despite comprising 0.87% of the general population (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2018). The author further indicates that 10 percent of all transgender people of color and low-income status have a higher likelihood of being incarcerated. This group of prisoners is crucial to this dialogue, considering that they are prone to sexual harassment, substance abuse, and PTSD.
Research Questions
The researcher will focus on the following questions to explore some of the correctional issues for women and transgender inmates:
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
What are transgender and women prisoners' experiences in prison settings?
What attitudes, knowledge, practices define their approach to sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted infections?
Which challenges do correctional facilities face while housing women and transgender prisoners?
Rationale
These questions will provide the researcher with a comprehensive finding into the complexities of rehabilitating women and transgender prisoners. Zettler (2020) notes that the incarceration of female prisoners severs their social support system and former relationships, an outcome that paves the way for depression. The situation is worse for transgender people who face constant sexual harassment, physical abuse, degradation, and humiliation from their fellow prisoners and staff. According to Siegel & Bartolas (2018), transgender prisoners are more prone to sexual harassment, especially if placed in the same cells or facilities with inmates who identify as males. This kind of abuse means that there is a need to understand their attitudes and knowledge they have regarding sexual behaviors and STIs. Similarly, stakeholders at correctional facilities have to anticipate women and transgender prisoners' unique needs to increase the likelihood of succeeding in their rehabilitative roles.
References
National Center for Transgender Equality. (2018). LGBTQ people behind bars: A guide to understanding the issues facing transgender prisoners and their legal rights . https://transequality.org/transpeoplebehindbars.
Siegel, L. J. & Bartolas, C. (2018). Corrections today (4 th Ed). Cengage Learning.
The Sentencing Project. (2020, November 24). Incarcerated women and girls. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/incarcerated-women-and-girls/
Zettler H.R. (2020). The female prison experience. In Hector J. (ed) Women and prison (p.53-64). Springer.
