We definitely feel that's the right foot forward for them," Ockinga said. We provide for them so that when they walk out of the prison, they're not being forced to go back into a role that doesn't fit them and that they can walk out living their truth. ![]() "The care closet is for those individuals who don't have family or friends who can provide these care packages. Generally, when an inmate is set to be released from prison, their family and friends provide them with clothes to leave in, or the inmate takes clothes that are available from the facility, Ockinga said.īut those are not always options for trans inmates, so the organization has set up what it calls a care closet. To address the lack of transitional housing, Beyond These Walls connects the people it helps with other groups, such as The Journey Project, that provide housing options. ![]() This can mean trans inmates have no choice but to go back into the closet just so they can get out of prison. But depending on the county, this can leave some in areas with no LGBTQ-friendly resources, Ockinga said. People released from Oregon DOC custody are required to complete parole or post-prison supervision in their county of residence. Trans inmates don't always have gender-affirming clothing upon their release, so Beyond These Walls has set up what it calls a care closet. During their screening process, they may determine that the individual would not be a good fit for their house."Ī donation bin for Beyond These Walls at Q Center. "Based on this model, most housing providers limit a residence to a single gender. Most DOC approved housing vendors operate their programs in single family homes, where two people occupy each bedroom," Hatley said in an email. "Transgender individuals releasing from prison can be difficult to place with DOC approved housing providers. Housing providers approved by the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) have the sole authority to decide which people will stay in their housing, according to Tobby Hatley, a spokesman for the department. Housing still remains a problem for many people whom Beyond These Walls assists in Oregon and Washington, Ockinga said. Her friends eventually helped her find a solution to her housing issue, and she was able to get back on her feet thanks to her support system, she said. Now that she had gone through her transition, she said, there was no way that she was going back in the closet.Īround 2019, when she was set to be released, Beyond These Walls wasn't providing reentry support in Washington, Ockinga said. "Once I disclosed to them that I was an open transgender woman presenting as my true self, the person said, 'No, we'll have nothing like that in this house' and hung up the phone," she said. Law Trans inmates need access to gender-affirming care. Over time, Chaplow made it a regular effort to organize groups to send annual holiday cards to incarcerated individuals. As we said at the time, it doesn't seem right that we just ignore these letters." ![]() There's no infrastructure on their end to process or answer those letters," Chaplow told NPR. ![]() The advocacy organization "would get letters from people that were in prison, but nobody would really answer them. The series includes dozens of interviews with inmates, experts and public officials.īiff Chaplow didn't set out to create what is now a lifeline for imprisoned and formerly incarcerated LGBTQ individuals in the Pacific Northwest.Įleven years ago, Chaplow just wanted to respond to some letters that prisoners had written to the National LGBTQ Task Force. The series focuses on topics such as being incarcerated in prisons that do not reflect one's gender identity, the medical hurdles faced behind bars and housing after being released. and the challenges they face in confinement and upon release. This story is part of a series looking at transgender inmates in the U.S. That effort evolved into Beyond These Walls, a nonprofit group that focuses on helping transgender and other LGBTQ people in prison and those who are newly released in the Pacific Northwest area. Biff Chaplow began a project to send annual holiday cards to incarcerated individuals.
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