LGBTQ+ Experiences in the Criminal Justice System
Have you ever wondered how a persons gender, identity, or sexuality can affect how they are viewed or treated in the Criminal Justice System?
Many individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are often targeted or involved in the Criminal Justice System due to their identity. Individuals who are straight or cisgender are less involved with the criminal justice system unlike individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. These individuals are often targeted when during arrests, in prisons, probation, and parole.
An example can be LGBTQ+ youth. According to Jones (2021), about 20% of young people in the juvenile justice system identify as LGBTQ+, gender nonconforming, or questioning. In comparison, only about 4–6% of young people in the general population identify this way.
This is important because individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+, encounter higher risk of being discrimination, denied support, and overlooked. Due to this it increases their likelihood of getting involved more in the Criminal Justice System.
These experiences can help people understand how they are being mistreated and rejected for their identity and that there needs to be some action done to prevent this from happening to others.
What are actions that can be taken to better support LGBTQ+ people to have safer encounters with the criminal justice system and to have fairer treatment?
Source: Jones, A. (2021, March 2). Visualizing the Unequal Treatment of LGBTQ People in the Criminal Justice System. Prison Policy Initiative.