TUMWATER, Wash. — A nearly four-year negotiation between the state corrections department and a Spokane non-profit concluded with a new agreement: transgender inmates in Washington state will finally receive equitable treatment.
The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and Disability Rights Washington (DRW) reached an agreement Wednesday to improve living conditions for transgender inmates. Under the agreement, DOC will provide transgender inmates with a mental health specialist, gender-affirming living spaces and a choice in who performs searches on their person.
The new agreement ensures transgender inmates will have access to a number of resources. Namely, DOC will designate a Gender-Affirming Mental Health Specialist in every facility and require correctional officers to go through transgender-focused training.
Transgender inmates will be provided with gender-affirming clothing and other property. They can also formally request a specific officer to conduct their pat-downs and searches.
“This is a landmark agreement and we look forward to continuing to work closely with DRW to implement it,” DOC Secretary Cheryl Strange said. “We have already made substantial improvements to the gender-affirming care offered to transgender incarcerated individuals in recent years, and this is another step in the right direction.”
The DOC will monitor prisons for three years to make sure they properly comply with new policies.
The DOC and DRW have worked on this agreement since 2019. Other policies will be implemented to bring equal treatment to all prisoners, regardless of gender identity.
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