Women allegedly raped in prison by a trans-identifying inmate will have to refer to their attacker as “she”

Women who claim they were raped in a California prison by a biological man claiming to be transgender will be forced to refer to the accused using his pronouns, a Madera County judge ruled last week, further complicating a case centered on a crime that was emboldened from the start by the government.

Tremaine Carroll allegedly raped several inmates while at the Central California Women’s Center in Chowchilla after securing placement there while identifying as transgender. The law on respect, action and dignity of transgender peoplewhich took effect in January 2021, allows California inmates to be placed in a facility corresponding to the gender they claim to be. By law, a prisoner does not need to take hormones, have had surgery or undergo a psychological evaluation to be approved. The government considers their testimony sufficient.

In 1990, Carroll was indicted on three counts of kidnapping for ransom, two counts of robbery, and three counts of oral copulation in concert by force, eventually pleading guilty to two counts of kidnapping . Several years later, Carroll was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under California’s three-strikes law after acting as a getaway driver during a robbery.

“After his first cellmate became pregnant and was transferred to Los Angeles, two more of his fellow inmates complained that he raped them,” Madera County Prosecutor Sally Moreno said. said the local ABC affiliate. One of those cellmates said Carroll attacked her while she was in the shower. “It’s a particular problem in this case because it’s confusing for the jury,” Moreno added. “In California, rape is a crime that must be committed by a man.”

It can also be disorienting for alleged victims, who will be vulnerable to policing from the judge’s speech — or directly from Carroll, their alleged rapist, who opted for self-representation. Charge with two counts of rape and one count of dissuading a witness from testifying, Carroll has since been transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison, a men’s facility.

Prison rape is unfortunately an issue that generates limited public outrage and is by no means limited to women’s prisons. Although precise statistics are difficult to track because such assaults sometimes go unreported, a 2012 study report The Justice Department estimates that more than 200,000 inmates were sexually assaulted behind bars in a single year. Many of them occur in men’s prisons or affect women. in the hands of government employees. These cases matter just as much.

But Carroll, who deserves a good day in court, could be a pretty ominous warning. “It is our sworn duty to protect people from sexual assault and violence,” Ralph Diaz, then secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in a 2020 statement about the law. respect, agency and dignity of transgender people. He added that the law would “codify our policies regarding the screening, treatment and housing of this population, as required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act.” In other words, by seeking to comply with the federal law supposed to eradicate rape in prison, California would have encouraged it.

The article Women Allegedly Raped in Prison by Trans-Identified Inmate Must Refer to Assailant as “She/Her” appeared first on Reason.com.