Civil Rights Clash over Washington State's Transgender Prison Policy Now Involves DOJ
The inquiry follows a lawsuit and allegations that the state failed to protect female prisoners from violence and harassment.
- On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice notified Washington Governor Bob Ferguson of a civil rights investigation into the Washington Corrections Center for Women, examining whether housing transgender women with female inmates violates constitutional protections.
- The investigation follows a lawsuit filed by the America First Policy Institute on behalf of inmate Faith Booher-Smith, who alleged a male inmate who identifies as female attacked her at the Gig Harbor facility last August.
- Washington is the third state facing such a probe, following similar federal investigations into prisons in California and Maine; the facility has capacity for 738 people, with about 300 individuals statewide identifying as transgender, according to the Department of Corrections.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated the agency has not reached conclusions but seeks to ensure prisons do not subject inmates to "unconstitutional risks of harm," potentially pursuing negotiated reforms rather than litigation.
- This inquiry aligns with President Donald Trump's broader efforts to limit transgender participation in society, including executive orders on federal prison housing, as his administration categorized certain ideologies as "violent left-wing extremists" in a national counterterrorism strategy released this month.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Washington State Under Federal Investigation for Housing Men in Women’s Prisons
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced May 19 that its agents have launched an investigation into Washington State’s practice of housing male inmates in women’s prisons. Gov. Bob Ferguson was notified in writing of the federal probe into an alleged pattern of “violating the constitutional rights of female prisoners incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington,” the DOJ stated. The investigation is…
Civil rights clash over Washington state's transgender prison policy now involves DOJ
SEATTLE — The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into Washington state’s practice of housing transgender women at the Washington Corrections Center for Women near Gig Harbor. The DOJ states it will investigate allegations that…
DOJ opens third state investigation over WA housing men in women’s prisons
The Justice Department opened a third federal civil rights investigation Tuesday into a state housing men who identify as transgender in women’s prisons, this time targeting Washington state over allegations that female inmates were exposed to sexual violence and intimidation at a women’s correctional facility near Tacoma. In a letter sent to Gov. Bob Ferguson (D), the DOJ announced it would investigate whether the Washington Corrections Center …
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