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                                    Resources
                                    Resources By Area of Practice
                                    Topics In Corrections
                                    LGBTI Medical & Mental Health

      

                    
          
    LGBTI Medical & Mental Health
The medical and mental health care of the adult in-custody lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) population is a complicated topic requiring an understanding of a broad set of issues.

Groups such as lesbian and bisexual women, generally receive less routine care than other women, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Men who engage in sex with other men account for a higher proportion of HIV/AIDS cases than any other demographic group in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The use of hormone therapies and other treatments for gender identity disorder [gender dysphoria] are now being mandated by the courts in many jurisdictions.

Intersex persons may have experienced confusing and substandard medical care and many care providers are not well educated on their medical needs.

Potential risk factors in the management of the LGBTI population include: higher rates of depression and anxiety, higher rates of suicide and suicide attempts, and potential self-mutilation due to extreme distress and/or psychiatric disorders

It is important to remember that the experiences of LGBTI individuals are not uniform and are shaped by factors of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location and age, any of which can have an effect on health-related concerns and needs, according to the Institute of Medicine, March 2011.

Links to current medical and mental health updates and information from government and other organizations are available on this page for your reference.
                   Parent Initiative
          LGBTI Persons in Custody and Under Supervision



This webpage provides information on the safe and respectful management of LGBTQI persons in custody, using best practices and considering legal perspectives. Agencies can apply for limited technical assistance to improve their response to managing LGBTQI persons.

  NIC Resources
          Health Correlates of Criminal Justice Involvement in 4,793 Transgender Veterans
          Qualitative Analysis of Transgender Inmates' Correspondence: Implications for Departments of Correction
          Building Bridges: LGBT Populations: A Dialogue on Advancing Opportunities for Recovery from Addictions and Mental Health Problems
          Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People

  Related Initiatives
          LGBTQI Juveniles

Topic Categories and Resources
The following grey bars are accordions that can be expanded to show a list of "top-shelf" resources that have been hand-picked by our library team around this topic. If you would like additional research assistance on this topic, please contact our help desk. They have access to specialized databases and thousands of resources you won't find online. Click on a grey box below to browse resources in that section.
            
      Accordion    Court Cases & Legislation
      
      Quine v. Beard (Case# C 14-02726 JST) (2015)
              Open Doors for All: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Protections in Health Care (2015)
              Accordion    LGBTI Victims
      
      Responding to Transgender Victims of Sexual Assault

            
      
"Members of the transgender community are among the most misunderstood and marginalized of populations, leaving them vulnerable to sexual violence. This vulnerability, coupled with past discrimination, stereotypical perceptions, and other barriers to service, means lost opportunities for justice and
              A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations Adults/Adolescents

            
      
“A timely, high-quality medical forensic examination can potentially validate and address sexual assault patients’7 concerns, minimize the trauma they may experience, and promote their healing. At the same time, it can increase the likelihood that evidence collected will aid in criminal case
              Price
              $0.00

National PREA Resource Center

            
      
Accession Number
              029875

            "The PRC’s aim is to provide assistance to those responsible for state and local adult prisons and jails, juvenile facilities, community corrections, lockups, tribal organizations, and inmates and their families in their efforts to eliminate sexual abuse in confinement. The PRC serves as a central

  Amount in Stock
              0
              Accordion    LGBTI Organizations & Resources
      
      Health Correlates of Criminal Justice Involvement in 4,793 Transgender Veterans

            
      
"Transgender (TG) persons are overrepresented in prison settings and in the U.S. veteran population. Health disparities studies of large populations of transgender people involved with the criminal justice system have not been published to date ... "This investigation sought to describe
              Qualitative Analysis of Transgender Inmates' Correspondence: Implications for Departments of Correction

            
      
"Claims of inadequate health care and safety afforded to transgender inmates have become the subject of litigation. This article reviews 129 unsolicited letters from transgender inmates writing ... to identify their concerns. Among the letters reviewed were reports from 10 inmates who had filed
              Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People

            
      
“The overall goal of the SOC [Standards of Care] is to provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people with safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their
              Building Bridges: LGBT Populations: A Dialogue on Advancing Opportunities for Recovery from Addictions and Mental Health Problems

            
      
“[D]espite some recent advances in understanding and acceptance, LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] individuals remain subject to the traumas of negative stereotyping, rejection, marginalization, and discrimination-all of which impede help-seeking behaviors. To compound the problem, LGBT
  
      National LGBTQIA+ Heath Education Center Homepage
              Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
              Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
              World Professional Association for Transgender Health
              Accord Alliance Homepage
              The Fenway Institute Homepage
              “What's the right thing to do?” Correctional healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes and experiences caring for transgender inmates (2017)
              Accordion    Mental Health
      
      Building Bridges: LGBT Populations: A Dialogue on Advancing Opportunities for Recovery from Addictions and Mental Health Problems

            
      
“[D]espite some recent advances in understanding and acceptance, LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] individuals remain subject to the traumas of negative stereotyping, rejection, marginalization, and discrimination-all of which impede help-seeking behaviors. To compound the problem, LGBT
  
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) (2022)
              Trevor Project: National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health (2021)
              Suicide Thoughts and Attempts Among Transgender Adults: Findings from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (2019)
              Being transgender no longer a 'mental disorder': APA (2012)
              American Psychiatric Association: Gender Dysphoria (2013)
              Suicide Thoughts and Attempts Among Transgender Adults: Findings from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (2019)

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          Lorie Brisbin
      
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              Correctional Program Specialist

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              Community Services Division

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              National Institute of Corrections

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