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Few studies have explored the lives of imprisoned transgender women and none consider non-binary prisoners. Transgender and Non-Binary Prisoners’ Experiences in England and Wales fills this gap by delving deep into their ordeals.
Drawing on a three-year project of correspondence with nineteen trans women and four non-binary persons incarcerated in men’s prisons as well as a critical analysis of the Prison Service policies and practices, Olga Suhomlinova and Saoirse Caitlin O’Shea bring to light the realities of these lives, in the prisoners’ own words. Rich in inimitable detail, Transgender and Non-Binary Prisoners’ Experiences in England and Wales documents the struggles against harassment and abuse, the challenges of access to transgender healthcare and feminine items, and the complexities of relationships with other prisoners and staff, revealing the strength of character required to maintain individual identity in a totalising institution. The participants’ introductions and “Life in the Day” essays also offer a close-up of what it takes to be a trans prisoner.
Steeped in unique empirical evidence, Transgender and Non-Binary Prisoners’ Experiences in England and Wales acts as a timely intervention, voicing the concerns of these marginalised groups and suggesting ways to improve their conditions of confinement. The book is of interest to students and scholars in penology/criminology, sociology, and gender/transgender studies, prison policy makers and practitioners, and human rights activists.
With sensitivity and intelligence, the authors skilfully present first-person accounts by transgender and non-binary people, historical and policy analyses, and insightful assessments of conditions of confinement for transgender and non-binary people in England and Wales. This book works on multiple levels: it honours diverse voices of the transgender and non-binary prisoners; demystifies their prison life; and interrogates how gender infuses prison regimes and how prison policy and practice encode gender. It recognizes the humanity of trans prisoners by leading with their candid accounts and putting them in the context of correctional policy and practice. … this book should be read by researchers, teachers, politicians and policymakers, activists and advocates, and others interested in learning important lessons about the nexus between gender diversity and the carceral state in England and Wales—and beyond.
Olga Suhomlinova is Associate Professor at the University of Leicester School of Business, UK, and a trans ally. She researches institutions, identity, and organisational change.
Saoirse Caitlin O’Shea is Senior Lecturer at the Open University Business School, UK, and a non-binary person. They research the lived experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming people.
Chapter 1, Introduction
Chapter 2. The Project (‘Transcending the Bars’)
Chapter 3. Trans Prisoners in England and Wales: The Past and the Present
Chapter 4. Her stories
Chapter 5. A Life in the Day
Chapter 6. Violence, Safety, Housing
Chapter 7. Conditions of Confinement: Material Aspects
Chapter 8. Conditions of Confinement: Interactional Aspects
Chapter 9. Non-Binary Prisoners
Chapter 10. Conclusion