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Trans People in the Criminal Justice System

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Trans People in the Criminal Justice System Trans People in the Criminal Justice System A guide for criminal justice personnel Joshua Mira Goldberg for the Women/Trans Dialogue Planning Committee, the Justice Institute of BC, and the Trans Alliance Society For further information or to order copies of this manual, contact: Shelley Rivkin Director, Centre for Leadership & Community Learning Justice Institute of BC 715 McBride Boulevard, New Westminster, BC V3L 5T4 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.jibc.bc.ca/clcl/ Trans Alliance Society c/o 1170 Bute St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z6 Tel: 604-684-9872 Ext. 2044 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.transalliancesociety.org Introduction Acknowledgments This project is a joint initiative of the Women/Trans Dialogue Planning Committee, the Justice Institute of BC, and Trans Alliance Society. As a collaborative effort that involved many communities, there are many people to thank. We thank the members of the Women/Trans Dialogue Planning Committee (W/TDPC) for their leadership in initiating this project. We particularly thank the members of the W/TDPC Project Advisory Team – WG Burnham, Joey Daly, Dean Dubick, Tracy Porteous, and Caroline White – for reviewing the material, providing suggestions and feedback, and otherwise overseeing the development of this information package. Our readers provided invaluable feedback on drafts of the guide, and we thank them (and, where applicable, the organizations they represent) for their efforts: WG Burnham (Trans Alliance Society, Trans/Action, and Women/Trans Dialogue Planning Committee), Monika Chappell (Youthquest!, Pacific DAWN, and December 9 Coalition), H. Aidean Diamond, Romham Padraig Gallacher, Emi Koyama (Community Board Chair, Survivor Project), and Aiyyana Maracle (independent artist and MFA candidate). We thank Tonye Barreto-Neto, police Det. Ros Shakespeare, and police Sgt. Stephan Thorne for their groundbreaking work to educate criminal justice personnel about trans people, and acknowledge the work of many others – particularly Stephanie Castle, Cynthia Cousens, Les Feinberg, Jamison Green, Synthia Kavanagh, Sgt. Nicola Lamb, Ki Namaste, Georgina Scott, Linda Simpson, and Alexandria Tucker. Prepared by: Co-Editors: Caroline White Women/Trans Dialogue Planning Committee Shelley Rivkin Justice Institute of BC Writer/Designer: Joshua Mira Goldberg Co-founder, Transcend Transgender Support & Education Society, BC FTM Network, and FTM Etcetera (Victoria) Cover graphic: Holly Boswell / Wendy Parker / Nancy R. Nangeroni Funding for the development of this curriculum guide was provided by the BC Ministry of the Attorney General. The guide reflects the views and opinions of the author and the Project Advisory Team and does not necessarily represent the position or policies of the Ministry. Copyright 2002 Trans Alliance Society The contents and design of this manual are the copyright of Trans Alliance Society and the author. All rights reserved. You are welcome to reproduce this manual for educational purposes, in whole or in part, but please acknowledge the source. Materials from other sources included in this guide may not be reproduced without permission from the copyright owners. i Trans People in the Criminal Justice System Introduction Table of Contents Introduction to Guide ................................................................................................................................. 1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................... 2 Emerging issues: The concerns of people who are intersex .......................................................... 3 Section 1: Basic Information ....................................................................................................................... 4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................... 5 Terminology .................................................................................................................................. 7 Historical Perspectives ................................................................................................................... 8 The Social Status of Trans People .................................................................................................. 9 Crossdressing ................................................................................................................................ 10 Transition ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Relationships ................................................................................................................................. 14 Child Custody ............................................................................................................................... 15 Section 2: The Legal Status of Trans People ......................................................................................... 16 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................. 17 Human Rights and the Law .......................................................................................................... 18 Privacy and Confidentiality ........................................................................................................... 21 Privacy and Confidentiality Checklist ......................................................................................... 22 Laws Relating to Identification ..................................................................................................... 23 Section 3: Responding to Trans Victims of Crime ................................................................................... 26 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................. 27 The Impact of Crime on Trans Victims ...................................................................................... 28 Acknowledging the Victim’s Courage and Protecting their Safety .............................................. 29 Sexual Assault .............................................................................................................................. 30 Relationship Violence .................................................................................................................. 31 Abuse of Trans Children & Youth ............................................................................................... 32 Commercial Sexual Exploitation ................................................................................................. 32 Dangerous Working Conditions: Protecting the Safety of Sex Workers ..................................... 33 Hate Crimes ................................................................................................................................. 35 Is Verbal Harrassment a Hate Crime? ............................................................................. 36 The BC Hate Crime Team ............................................................................................... 37 Designated Trans Liaison Officers ............................................................................................. 38 Points to Remember When Responding to Trans Victims of Crime ........................................... 39 ii Trans People in the Criminal Justice System Introduction Section 4: Trans Suspects & Offenders .................................................................................................... 40 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ........................................................................................... 41 Safety of Trans Prisoners ............................................................................................................ 42 Options for Placement of Trans Prisoners ................................................................................... 43 Access to Health Information for Personnel Working with Trans Offenders ............................ 44 Access to Health Care .................................................................................................................. 44 HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C .......................................................................................................... 45 Trans People in the Sex Trade ..................................................................................................... 46 Avoiding Bias in Enforcement of Laws Governing the Sex Trade ............................................. 47 Section 5: Self-harm, Suicide, and Other Potentially Dangerous Behaviour ........................................... 48 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................. 49 Gender Dysphoria and Self-harm .................................................................................................. 50 Depression and Suicidality ........................................................................................................... 50 Unusual and Potentially Dangerous Behaviour ........................................................................... 51 Specialized Resources .................................................................................................................. 51 Section 6: When a Colleague
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