Transgender prisoner being investigated for assault in NZ

[JessicaWakefieldSV]

Just seen this article. A transwoman is being investigated for sexual assault in a Christchurch women’s prison. There are 30-40 transgender prisoners in NZ. 6 are in the women’s prisons according to this article. Those who are in prison for sex offences are not permitted in a women’s prison but there is a push for all to be allowed to be in the prison that matches their identity- Green MP Marama Davidson has visited prisoners and I noticed was very rude and dismissive to lesbian women on twitter who asked her about it. This prisoner was not inside got sex offences. They seem to be making a nuisance of themselves.

i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/112432880/transgender-prisoner-investigated-for-sexual-assault-behind-bars

Sorry I don’t know how to do a clicky link in the main post

i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/112432880/transgender-prisoner-investigated-for-sexual-assault-behind-bars

Its a male prisoner who is being investigated for assaulting female prisoners.

The male prisoner is in female estate due to their transgender identity.

(extract)
"The prisoner in Christchurch Women's was born male and is listed as female on court documents and on her birth certificate. She has violence, robbery and driving convictions, but none for sexual offending.

A Corrections spokeswoman said when the inmate came into custody in June 2017 she was placed at a men's prison.

"She subsequently applied for a review of her placement, which was approved by the chief executive on November 2, 2017, and she was moved to a women's prison on that day. Between these dates, she had asked that the application be put on hold."

The Parole Board declined release after her latest hearing, saying she "presents as an undue risk".

"[She] needs to demonstrate consistent good behaviour, have a misconduct-free period, deal with her identified drug-use status, and formulate a safety plan. [She] will also benefit from some reintegration," the Parole Board report says.

That was little comfort for the former inmate turned whistleblower, who was concerned for those at Christchurch Women's Prison.

"There's some really vulnerable women in there, I think it's wrong. [She] is anatomically a male, but has the choice where [she] goes." (continues)
www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/112432880/transgender-prisoner-investigated-for-sexual-assault-behind-bars

The NZ rule that prevents male trans prisoners who have been convicted of sexual offences being held in female estate both acknowledges the risk of male violence against women whilst denying the well accepted fact that it is very poorly prosecuted so obscuring a known risk.

But this never happens.

This is so unacceptable. Vulnerable women deserve protection from male predators no matter how they present.

WTF did they think would happen? Male prisons are rife with sexual assault and the ones doing the assaulting aren't generally in for sex offenses.

1/6 of the transwomen prisoners in female prisons in NZ has now been caused of sexual assault against female inmates. 😕 male bodied but gets to choose which prison they go in and females inmates get no say 😠

*accused

Vulnerable women deserve protection

Yes they do. 87% of NZ’s female prisoners are mothers. 58% of female prisoners are Māori. I can’t get the figures but a disproportionate amount are lesbian. When a lesbian woman asked Marama Davidson MP, a Māori woman, who she had visited ( she tweeted she had visited a transgender prisoner ) and if she supported sex offenders being able to identify as women and move to a women’s prison, in Māori, she refused to answer and instead talked about the woman with other followers in a derogatory way, saying she would be ignoring such women. A member of Parliament, refusing to answer a politely asked question on sex offenders in prisons because the lesbian woman who asked, wasn’t the right kind of woman. I used to vote Greens in NZ, back when it was actually a decent party with great leaders.

Got this notification of a press release on this issue from SUFW in my email today, but hadn't read the Stuff articles. Kelvin Davis is the Minister of Corrections, so I hope he he gets on this quickly.

speakupforwomen.nz/sex-assault-investigation-trans-prisoner/

from the link above:
(extract)
"While the investigation is ongoing, it is the women of Christchurch Women’s Prison who Speak Up For Women is concerned about. “It has taken a whistle-blower for these allegations to come to light, only after she had left the prison. Our concern is that women are not feeling safe or able to speak out in these situations. We want to make it clear that we are here to advocate for these women should they need it,” says Ani O’Brien, spokeswoman for Speak Up For Women."

see current thread discussing important article by Ani O'Brien:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3580386-Article-Fundamentally-misunderstanding-gender-critical-feminism

Recently there was another investigation into women in NZ prisons being forced to have improper internal exams, being confined to a room if they declined: www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216308

I read the news report you linked to and I'm appalled, JessicaWakefieldSV. Dozens of women prisoners given illegal internal examinations while incarcerated.

The misogyny of the NZ prison system couldn't be more blatant. At least the women involved were compensated. That's the only thing that seems to force the authorities to sit up and acknowledge wrongdoing.

The misogyny of the NZ prison system couldn't be more blatant.

You’re right, except I would extend that to:

The misogyny of NZ as a whole.

I’m Māori but have lived in UK 16 years. I can honestly say I find NZ to be far more misogynistic in so many areas. We have the highest rate of DV in the developed world, for a reason.

It is bizarre that when considering whether a transwoman is a risk to women prisoners, the authorities only consider previous convicions of a sexual nature.

This individual had convictions for robbery and other forms of violence. You and I would see this as a substantial risk to women and indeed he turned out to be a controlling, manipulative and intimidating 'boss'.

His method of transporting methadone within the prison system and selling it to vulnerable women with addiction and menatal health problems, depended on his access to tampons. Suprise, suprise!

With hindsight, would the prison authorities agree that they had been played like a banjo? Hoodwinked, duped and enabling a man to exercise power, perhaps?

I also think it's very naive that they only consider previous sexul assault convictions.

As an above poster noted, there are a lot of sexual assaults in men's prisons and it isn't by sex offenders. For that matter, sex assaults that are really about power happen among women in women's prisons as well.

The whole environment is one that creates certain kinds of problems that would not happen in a different situation, people act in ways that are abnormal. Maybe it would be better to change that, but it's easier said than done. Prisons are just an environment that require a level of management that is extremely conservative and careful and controlled.

Male violence against women:
WHO 2017

"Violence against women – particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence – is a major public health problem and a violation of women's human rights.
Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.
Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.
Men are more likely to perpetrate violence if they have low education, a history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, and a sense of entitlement over women." (continues)

www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

It is an indefensible failure in the state's duty of care towards vulnerable females to house male prisoners in female estate.