Campaign for Transgender Prisoners at Vacaville Medical Facility Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Fri, 7 Nov 1997 16:44:31 +0000 source:"Judy Greenspan" Dear Friends, We are trying again to put pressure on the Warden at the California Medical Facility to make changes in the care and treatment of transgender prisoners. Specifically, we are attempting to set-up a meeting with the Warden to discuss: access to hormones, guard harassment, medical care and mental health support groups. We are also trying to raise consciousness in the prisoners' rights/support community and among AIDS activists about these critical issues. We would like to invite you to join our Ad Hoc Committee for Prison Health Care Reform and sign onto this letter. We would also like you to circulate this letter to others who may be interested in either signing or learning about the problems faced by transgender prisoners. For more information, you can contact the HIV/AIDS in Prison Project by sending email to judyg@igc.org. Our draft letter appears below. We welcome your support and comments. AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR PRISON HEALTH CARE REFORM November 7, 1997 Ana Olivares, Warden California Medical Facility at Vacaville P.O. Box 2000 Vacaville, CA 95696 Dear Warden Olivares: We are writing to you as representatives of the Ad Hoc Committee for Prison Health Care Reform. This group is made up of culturally diverse organizations and individuals who are dedicated to improving the medical and mental health care conditions for people who live behind bars. We are deeply concerned about the health care needs of the transgendered prisoner population housed at your facility. It has been brought to our attention, that the medical as well as the mental health care remains poor and/or nonexistent at the California Medical Facility for the transgendered (TG) prisoner. The following is a list of quality care issues which we are concerned about: 1) Correctional Officers and other staff receive no training on the psychosocial-bio issues of the transgender community. Some C.O.s demean, demoralize, humiliate and discriminate against TGs. 2) The correctional facility does not have a mental health program which addresses the mental health needs of the TG prisoner. Correctional mental health service views TGs as deviant and pathological. 3) The correctional facility does not have a medical clinic addressing the unique medical needs of the TG prisoner. 4) The TG prisoner should be housed in a special unit within the correctional facility where they would be allowed to live their lifestyle within the limits and rules of the facility. Many are housed with other prisoners and are raped and emotionally abused. 5) Currently TGs at CMF are the only incarcerated group housed in the HIV/AIDS program. This places them at risk for infection of HIV. 6) Incarcerated TGs are not even considered eligible for hormone therapy unless they received this therapy prior to incarceration. In reality, it is rare for those who received hormones prior to incarceration to be approved to receive hormones while incarcerated. And it can take months for hormones to be approved in the very rare cases when they are. 7) TGs living with HIV/AIDS are denied hormones. They were also denied being able to attend a TG sensitive support group. There was no support group offered in their area addressing their unique needs. 8) The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the HIV program was quoted in '95 as saying, " I did a research review and found nothing in the literature to support the notion that hormone therapy improves the mental health of the transsexual. I do not support giving hormones to the transsexuals at CMF." 10) California Department of Corrections (CDC) needs to develop an official policy in the DOM Department Operations Manual which addresses the psychosocial-bio needs of the incarcerated TG community. To date there is no such document. 11) TGs who are incarcerated should be provided HIV/STD peer education which is sensitive to the TG community. They receive no HIV or other health information. 12) The incarcerated TG should be protected from sexual assault, physical and verbal abuse and discrimination. The experience of the TG prisoner is feeling unprotected. 13) All transgender prisoners whether they are HIV positive or not are disciplined more harshly than the general population for the same offense. 14) TGs are not allowed to wear make-up or feminine clothing. Many who have developed breasts are not allowed to wear bras. They are strip-searched by male officers. The Ad Hoc Committee for Prison Health Care Reform is requesting that the California Medical Facility investigate the health care concerns identified above. We are also requesting a formal meeting with you to discuss our concerns and develop solutions to this serious deficiency in health care delivery. Please contact either Scott Cozza at (707) 778-0564 or Judy Greenspan at (510) 834-5656, ext. 3150, to set-up this meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Scott Cozza Judy Greenspan, HIV/AIDS in Prison Project Additional names: [Let us know if you want to sign on. We would welcome your participation.] ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytsxp-11.07.97-20:10:05-20944