We are relieved to learn that the safety of all incarcerated persons are taken into consideration in the prison system. Minister Shanmugam’s clarifications in parliament is clear that transgender folks who are transitioning will be treated humanely.
We also concur that individuals should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and greatly appreciate the effort into considering the nuances of the situation.
From our work with transgender folks who went through the system, there are still issues faced by transgender inmates. We have noted in one case, a trans woman who was assigned to a male prison alleged that she and other trans women in the cell have less recreational time like exercise, study or work.
While the assignment of prison cells based on their external genitalia is a step forward in the right direction, we feel that there should also be considerations for transgender inmates who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or expressed gender variance, but are unable to transition medically or surgically. That can include providing gender care to inmates and assigned them to segregated cells in such cases.
We believe that these considerations will help expand to include gender-diverse individuals and improve their rehabilitation journey.
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