Trump Administration winds back Obama-era protections for transgender prisoners

[Stavros]

1. Transsexual or otherwise, don't commit a crime and get sent to prison.
4. Once again, if you are a transsexual worried about being thrown into the general prison population then don't commit a federal crime. Problem solved!

Prison in the USA is a profitable business not a public service. The Obama administration tried to reduce the number of people in prison which are now increasing again as Attorney General Sessions believes even the most trivial crimes merit incarceration and that is where your 'don't break the law' excuse falls flat.

Most transgendered Americans lead normal lives and don't break the law. But many transgendered teenagers live dysfunctional lives. They may have had to leave home where they were unwelcome, they may have mental health issues, they may become involved in drugs and prostitution, they become vulnerable to life on the streets where they are more likely to get into trouble, charged with a crime and at some point be sent to prison. Is Prison meant to help convicted criminals reform and lead better lives, or is it just a social dustbin into which vulnerable people can be thrown without any support at all, least of all for their rights?

At highest risk are transgender women who have reported alarming rates of assault in federal and state prisons and local jails: more than 1 in 3 have been sexually victimized according to PREA data. In a national survey of transgender adults, respondents who were incarcerated reported physical and sexual assault rates six to 10 times higher than non-transgender prisoners.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/14/...nder-prisoners

[mildcigar_2001]

For better or worse prison exists to punish people for their crimes, and to provide a deterrent for others to prevent them from also committing crimes.

By the age most prisoners reach prison their characters (or lack thereof) are already formed. To break criminals out of the cycle there needs to some force as religion to change people in the long term.

But once again my message to the transsexual community is avoid committing crimes if you didn't want to go to prison. I have little sympathy for dysfunctional people (transsexual or otherwise) that make other people their victims.

We need to get away from politically correct nonsense of the Obama era.

If you can't do the time don't do the crime, and if transsexuals get treated particularly badly in prison the they need to try especially had to be law abiding citizens.

[trish]

Politically speaking, prison exists to punish people - yes, but not always for committing crimes. Too often it’s for being the wrong color, or having the wrong opinion, or even using the wrong restroom. It functions to intimidate, subjugate and oppress. But in the U.S. its raison d'être is to make a profit: civil forfeiture, kids for cash, mass incarceration. Within its borders the U.S. has 4.4% of the world’s population. How does a nation that claims to prize freedom above all else justify incarcerating 23% of the world’s incarcerated people? How does a nation that prizes individual freedom above all else justify the way it treats individuals who identify differently?

[SanDiegoPervySage]

Prison is supposed to rehabilitate not solely punish. And when you have a lack of resources for many jails/prisons, rehabilitation often fails, whether or not that particular institution made rehabilitative efforts.

[filghy2]

Within its borders the U.S. has 4.4% of the world’s population. How does a nation that claims to prize freedom above all else justify incarcerating 23% of the world’s incarcerated people?

And how well has that worked in deterring crime? If our law and order crusader is correct then I'm sure he can produce lots of stats showing that the US has lower crime rates than other developed countries.

I'm surprised he hasn't extended the logic of his argument further,eg:

Worried about the widening gap between rich and poor? Just work harder at getting rich.
Worried about not being able to afford health care? Just work harder at staying healthy and avoiding accidents.
Worried about gun violence? Just don't go out unless you are armed to the teeth.
Worried about racism? Just have your skin whitened like Michael Jackson.

[mildcigar_2001]

Putting people in jail has worked fairly well against preventing crime. Crime rates across the nation are down substantially since the 1970s.

A prime example of this is New York city. Under Mayer Giuliani's get tough on crime policy violent and property rates plunged. Under the current Mayer NYC becoming unsafe again.

Almost any one in the United States can work their way into the middle class (at least) if they work hard enough. The important point is that you have to be willing to work.

Look at Venezuela for what socialism can do to a country. Venezuela is sitting on the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and the country is starving to death.

If you think too many people are in jail, look at the Southside of Chicago (that should convince most people that a lot more violent criminals need to be put in the can).

My point is life should be made hard for convicted criminals (obviously is I'm the HA forum I like TSs, but I'm not eager to make things easier for the relatively e subset that are criminals). Save your sympathy for TS victims of crime!

[filghy2]

Crime rates across the nation are down substantially since the 1970s.

That's true (contrary to what Trump has been suggesting), but there are a number of factors that may have contributed. Crime rates have also fallen in most developed countries. Researchers have found only a small effect from increased incarceration. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...ecline/477408/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhow.../#769262266f61

[mildcigar_2001]

Thankfully, in our society there is a generally a finite amount of criminals (the less criminals on the streets equals less crime).

It is disingenuous to suggest that locking up criminals does no good. It's hard to mug someone in Central park if you are on Riker's Island.

[Stavros]

Thankfully, in our society there is a generally a finite amount of criminals (the less criminals on the streets equals less crime).
It is disingenuous to suggest that locking up criminals does no good. It's hard to mug someone in Central park if you are on Riker's Island.

But if you look at Boston as an example, you find that reducing crime is as much about community policing as it is just locking people up. Your President during his campaign used the example of Chicago to argue for tougher penalties for crime and more arrests because it suited his concept of 'Broken America', and feeds the 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' zombies who never seem to ask why people break the law in the first place. But if you go the Boston route, you must fund a police service that replaces confrontation with conversation, where the police are part of the community, not at war with it. This is a man who thrives on confrontation, who has no concept of community, and merely looks at what Obama did and says, 'reverse it'. Like reversing your car into the street without looking in the rear view mirror to see if there is anyone there -or reversing into a brick wall.

[Paladin]

Politically speaking, prison exists to punish people - yes, but not always for committing crimes. Too often it’s for being the wrong color, or having the wrong opinion, or even using the wrong restroom. It functions to intimidate, subjugate and oppress. But in the U.S. its raison d'être is to make a profit: civil forfeiture, kids for cash, mass incarceration. Within its borders the U.S. has 4.4% of the world’s population. How does a nation that claims to prize freedom above all else justify incarcerating 23% of the world’s incarcerated people? How does a nation that prizes individual freedom above all else justify the way it treats individuals who identify differently?

That's only the prisons we Know about.