NC Trans Inmate Denied Housing Transfer To A Female Prison

37 year old Kanautica Zayre-Brown acknowledges she broke the law, and as a consequence of it is now serving a nearly ten year sentence after being convicted of insurance fraud.

But despite being a post-operative trans person, having her name legally changed before starting her sentence, why am I not surprised that North Carolina keeps violating the 8th Amendment by refusing to recognize her as female and housing her in a male prison.

Zayre-Brown was imprisoned back in 2017, and is currently at the medium security Hartnett Correctional Institution in Lillington, NC, serving a nine year and 11 month sentence. 

While the North Carolina Department of Public Safety recently adopted a policy that entitles transgender inmates to services including gender appropriate housing, they have repeatedly denied Zayre-Brown's requests to be moved to a women's prison.

They also refuse to give her feminine items as well

That forces her to shower in front of male inmates, and she fears that she will be sexually assaulted it that continues.   Housing a trans woman with men is also a violation of the cruel and unusual punishment portion of the 8th Amendment, and I'm surprised they haven't been sued for it yet..

Zayre-Brown says that all she wants is fairness and a transfer to a women's prison.   The NC DPS claims they are reviewing the case again.

I will be watching to see what happens in this case.

Strawberry Hampton Finally Moved To Illinois Women's Prison

Some good news as we close out 2018 on the trans rights front

27 year old Deon 'Strawberry' Hampton has been transitioning since she was 5 years old.   She is unfortunately doing a 10 year sentence in Illinois for burglary that she started serving in 2015.

But no prison sentence should include sexual and physical assault, transphobic harassment from prisoners and guards and incarceration in a men's prison if you are a trans feminine person. That is a violation of the 8th Amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment

Hampton has been in four different men's prisons in Illinois, and has according to court filings suffered violent sexual and physical assault and emotional abuse at four different prisons.

At Pinckneyville Correctional Facility, she alleges guards sexually assaulted her, then forced her to have sex with her cellmate for their entertainment.   That incident led to a suicide attempt.

In December 2017 The MacArthur Justice Center and the Uptown People's Law Center filed the first of several lawsuits on her behalf seeking a court order to stop the abuse being aimed at Hampton.

She has finally had her request granted to be moved from Dixon Correctional Center, a men's prison in Dixon, IL, to the Logan Correctional Center, a women's prison in Lincoln, IL

The Illinois Department of Corrections initially denied Hampton’s transfer request. 

In November  US District Court Judge Nancy Rosenstengel ordered the Illinois Department of Corrections to re-evaluate its denial of Hampton’s request for transfer to a women’s prison.
The judge also ordered they develop training on transgender issues for all staff.

If you're wondering what POTUS appointed Judge Rosenstengel to the federal bench, she was appointed by President Barack Obama. 

Despite the positive ruling in Strawberry's favor, the MacArthur Justice Center said that the Illinois Department of Corrections still hasn't done enough to remedy the systemic failures that lead to the abuse of transgender inmates. 

The transphobic hatred being put in the atmosphere by the Republican Party, conservafool media and evilgelicals isn't helping either.