New York Prison To Open Housing Unit For Transgender Women

The second-largest jail in America, Rikers Island in New York, will open a housing unit this week for transgender women – the first of its kind in existence. The New York City Department of Correction made the move in ongoing efforts to protect transgender inmates from violence, rape and harassment and will provide 30 beds, which officials believe will adequately cover affected Rikers inmates. The move will see transgender women moved away from current housing in the prison, where they are incarcerated alongside males and face disproportionate rates of violence, rape and harassment by both staff and other inmates. According to prison officials, the only alternative for transgender inmates prior to this was being locked in solitary confinement, which sees inmates locked alone in a cell for 23 hours a day. Speaking at the historic move, Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte said in a statement: “Because inmates are not all alike, the Department is creating specialized housing for many specific inmate groups. Providing [transgender women] with specialized housing and services is good policy and meaningful reform and is expected to reduce incidents involving these individuals while also leading to better long-term outcomes, including possible reductions in recidivism.” The NYC Department of Correction said new guards have been hired for the facility, and will now receive special training on how to sensitively deal with the needs of transgender inmates: “We are taking extra precautions to ensure these individuals are safe and receive appropriate support. This includes recruiting dedicated staff who are comfortable working with this population and providing them with training on how to work with transgender women sensitively and effectively.”