Move CeCe McDonald to A Womens' Prison

Details: Category: LGBT Issues; Published on Thursday, 07 June 2012 11:44; Written by Lara Landis; Hits: 430

CeCe McDonald defended herself against her attackers. She earned a jail sentence for her terms. While the story is itself an indication of inequality in the justice system, there is another development in the case that will put McDonald at further risk. After her sentencing, McDonald was housed in a mens' facility.

Minnesota policies may not be in line with the federal policy, which requires female transgender inmates to be housed in gender appropriate facilities. The author of this piece is not an expert or even familiar with the state, local or county laws on the matter. What is known, even to people who have little familiarity with the case, is that the defendant received poor legal advice and should have fought the charges against her.

A petition on Change.org has asked the correctional facility to move her into housing appropriate for her gender. The Support CeCe webpage contains links to the petition and information on her arrest and conviction. She is currently being held in the St. Cloud State prison. The judge sentenced her to 41 months after she accepted a plea bargain.

The Support CeCe blog calls the trials and the sentence a clear-cut example of racism and transphobia. Violence against transgender women is epidemic, but transgender people of color are often treated worse than their Caucasian counterparts.

If the St. Cloud facility wishes to keep McDonald safe, they need to remove her from the current prison population. Her sentence, ideally, never should have been handed down.

Sources:

Support CeCe

Petition to Transfer CeCe to Shakopee Women's Correctional Facility