Unjust: How The Broken Criminal Justice System Fails Transgender People

This report offers a snapshot of how the U.S. criminal justice system not only fails transgender people, but also targets them. As shown in the graphics on the previous two pages, transgender and gender non-conforming people face high levels of discrimination in many areas of life that put them at risk for economic insecurity, homelessness, and reliance on survival economies. Combined with policing strategies that profile and target transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, the end result is high rates of criminalization of transgender people. Once within the criminal justice system, transgender people are often discriminated against, verbally and sexually assaulted, refused adequate medical care, and treated with disregard for their identity and dignity. And when trying to rebuild their lives with a criminal record, transgender people face added challenges. Throughout this report, we highlight the unique impact of the criminal justice and immigration systems on documented and undocumented transgender immigrants. This report is not, however, meant to provide a detailed analysis of these added challenges. For a more thorough exploration, please see the resources listed on the bottom of page 15. This report is a companion to a broader report released in February 2016 entitled Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails LGBT People. That report provides more detailed analyses and statistics, examples of innovative programs and personal stories, and detailed recommendations for change. This companion report is designed to be a primer highlighting the key issues that arise for transgender people within the criminal justice system.