A lot of books have been written and TV shows and movies filmed documenting life “on the inside.” And if even half of what you hear can be believed, prison is no place to stand out, to appear weak or different in any way.
Because of their differences, trans people end up being doubly punished by a system designed to work on the binary model – put in solitary confinement or segregation for their own safety without access to social programs; forced into institutions that don’t reflect their self-identified gender; or being searched by correctional officers of a different gender, just for starters.
It was these kind of situations that led CBA’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Forum to propose a resolution, passed at the CBA’s February 2016 Council meeting, to urge governments at all levels to adopt policies and training procedures to protect the rights and accommodate the needs of trans prisoners – those who are transgender, transsexual, non-binary, transitioned or two-spirit.
In March, SOGIC wrote to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, asking him to take action.
“We welcome the initiatives taken in four provinces (Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia), but have been concerned about a lack of leadership on this issue at the federal level,” SOGIC says in the letter.
“Our understanding is that the Correctional Service of Canada is now reviewing its policies on transgender prisoners. We have written separately to Commissioner Head offering our assistance in this initiative.”