Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Apryl Alexander

Second Advisor

Brieanne Kohrt

Third Advisor

Bradley McMillan

Keywords

Transgender, Deputies, Jail, Prison, Discrimination, Healthcare, Incarceration, Corrections, Providers

Abstract

Compared to the general population, transgender individuals face higher rates of victimization, violence, substance use, physical health issues, and mental health problems. Transgender people are more likely to face barriers in finding and maintaining employment and housing due to discrimination. As a result, they are more likely to participate in illegal economies such as sex work and drug distribution. These factors contribute to the overrepresentation of transgender people in jails and prisons in the United States. Specifically, 16% of transgender adults have been incarcerated, compared to 2.7% of the general population. While under custody, transgender individuals are at risk of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and harassment by correctional staff. Although past research has documented the experiences of transgender individuals who are incarcerated in correctional facilities, no study to date has examined correctional officers' experiences with the transgender population. As part of this proposed study, an online survey will be distributed to correctional staff at Denver's County Jails to measure attitudes toward transgender individuals. Results will be used to inform tailored interventions, such as staff training, to improve standards of care under custody.

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Publication Statement

Copyright held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Extent

44 pgs

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