A Quick Guide for LGBTI Policy Development for Adult Prisons and Jails
The 'Quick Guide for LGBTI Policy Devolment for Adult Prisons and Jails' authored by the Moss Group and the National Institute of Corrections will help agencies and facilities develop a comprehensive response to working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) inmates. It is not meant to provide an answer to every question or an in-depth discussion of all issues that agencies face or that the LGBTI population faces while in custody. It provides an overview of the important issues that agencies should consider when working to house and treat LGBTI inmates in a way that is safe and consistent with an agency’s mission, values, and security guidelines.
This Quick Guide is organized chronologically according to the decisions an agency will have to make before and at the point when an LGBTI individual enters the system. These areas of focus include: Assessment of Agency Culture (as relates to LGBTI individuals); Assessment of Agency Staff and Administration Knowledge and Attitudes; Examination of Current Relevant Agency Norms; Development and Implementation Mechanisms; Development of Awareness of Current Legal Responsibilities; Foundational Issues; Intake Screening/Risk Assessment; Classification and Housing Placement; Medical and Mental Health Care; Information Management; Group Inmate Management; Specific Safety and Privacy Concerns for Transgender and Intersex Inmates; and Staff, Volunteer, and Contractor Training Requirements.
This resource can be used for all adult facilities including community confinement facilities and lockups. Please note that 115.42 does not apply to lockups. In the lockup standards, Standards 115.131 and 115.141 do not specifically reference LGBTI identity or gender-nonconforming appearance. Standard 115.131 requires training on how to communicate effectively with all detainees, and Standard 115.141 requires staff to ask detainees about their own perceptions of vulnerability and to consider the physical build and appearance of detainees.