Prisoner Survey Underscores How We Are Failing LGBTQ Youth in America

LGBTQ Prison Reform

A report by Black and Pink gives us a better picture of the lived experiences of LGBTQ people in prison.  Close to 1,200 prisoners were surveyed in 2014.

Download the Executive Summary and Recommendations

Download the Entire Report Her

While some of the recommendations in the report stretch the limits of imagination (such as eliminating the criminal justice system entirely), the experiences reported by LGBTQ prisoners are disturbing and demand attention.

One of the most striking pieces of information is just how young many of these individuals were when they were first incarcerated.   Approximately 2/3 or respondents were arrested before their eighteenth birthday.

When you look more closely at the factors that may have contributed to their imprisonment, you’ll discover the challenges many LGBT Youth in America face.

Unsafe Schools: Less than a third of respondents completed high school outside of prison.

Homelessness: Close to 20% of respondents reported being homeless prior to arrest, while only 52% reported stable housing.

Unemployment and Criminalized Economies: Over a third of respondents reported being unemployed prior to their incarceration, nearly 7 times the 2014 national unemployment rate in 2014.  Many reported engaging in sex work or selling drugs for their survival.

Given the very real challenges young people faced (again, the majority of whom were teenagers at their first arrest) the fact that they ended up in the criminal justice system is not surprising.  Deeply troubling, of course, but not surprising.

Once incarcerated LGBTQ Prisoners face many injustices which are documented in this report.  Of course, young or old, all LGBTQ prisoners facing these injustices deserve our attention, our support, and our advocacy.  Please read the entire report and consider what you can do to make a difference.

Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System

Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System

Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System examines how LGBTQ youth who are incarcerated in juvenile detention and correctional facilities face bias in adjudication, and mistreatment and abuse in confinement facilities. LGBTQ youth also lack supportive services when leaving the criminal and juvenile justice systems, often forcing them back into negative interactions with law enforcement.

Given that nearly 40% of incarcerated girls in identify as LGB and 85-90% of incarcerated LGBTQ youth are youth of color, it is crucial that any effort to change the way youth in the United States engage with the juvenile justice system must consider the unique experiences of LGBTQ youth. This spotlight report highlights the experiences of LGBTQ youth incarcerated in the juvenile justice system.

Click below to download the full report written by Movement Advancement Project, Center for American Progress, and Youth First

Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System

 

Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System

Movement Advancement Project, Center for American Progress, and Youth First
Movement Advancement Project, Center for American Progress, and Youth First