A trans agent of social change in incarceration: A psychobiographical study of Natasha Keating

Abstract

Objectives This psychobiography focuses on the advocacy work of Natasha Keating, a trans woman incarcerated in two male prisons in Australia between 2000 and 2007. Incarcerated trans women are a vulnerable group who experience high levels of victimization and discrimination. However, Natasha advocated for her rights while incarcerated and this advocacy contributed to substantial changes in the carceral system. This psychobiography uses psychological understandings of resilience as well as the Transgender Resilience Intervention Model (TRIM) to investigate the factors that enabled this advocacy. Method Data consisted of an archive of letters written by Natasha and interviews with individuals who knew her well. This psychobiography was guided by du Plessis' (2017) 12‐step approach and included the identification of psychological saliencies and the construction of a Multilayered Chronological Chart. Results Natasha's life is presented in four chapters, with each chapter including a discussion of resilience based on the TRIM. Conclusions The TRIM suggests that during incarceration, Natasha was able to access more group‐level resilience factors than at any other time in her life. This, combined with individual resilience factors, enabled her advocacy. This finding has implications for advocacy in general as it highlights the importance of both individual‐ and group‐level factors in enabling individuals to effectively advocate for change in their environments.

Transgender Youth, Challenges, Responses, and the Juvenile Justice System: A Systematic Literature Review of an Emerging Literature

“…Incorrect and inappropriate placements can limit or prohibit transgender youth from accessing appropriate health care, including gender-affirming health care, and place them at an increased risk of harassment, violence, and sexual assault by other incarcerated youth and correctional staff (Movement Advancement Project et al, 2017;Scarpaci, 2019). Systems that house transgender youth according to sex assumed at birth and genitalia may over-rely on the use of solitary isolation and segregation as an ineffective method to protect the young person, increasing risk of mental health issues, suicide, and self-harm (Gelin, 2014;Markshamer and Tobin, 2014), also evident in studies exploring adult incarcerated transgender persons (Brömdal et al, 2023;du Plessis et al, 2023;Halliwell et al, 2022;Hughto et al, 2022;Phillips et al, 2020;Sanders et al, 2022). As found by several authors exploring this space, but in relation to incarcerated transgender adults (Brömdal et al, 2019a(Brömdal et al, , 2019bClark et al, 2017Clark et al, , 2023Hughto et al, 2022;Phillips et al, 2020;Sanders et al, 2022;Van Hout et al, 2020;White Hughto et al, 2018), the review of policies should also ensure access to gender-affirming health and medical services, including mental health services.…”

Correctional policies for the management of trans people in Australian prisons

“…As this paper is a review of extant correctional policies relating to the care and management of, specifically, adult trans populations in Australian prisons, its scope does not cover the lived experience of trans people incarcerated under these policies’ remit. While good work has been done in that area by other scholars (Brömdal, Clark, et al., 2019 ; Brömdal et al., 2023 ; Clark et al., 2023 ; du Plessis et al., 2023 ; Sanders et al., 2023 ), it is important to note again that policy does always not translate into practice, and that this review cannot speak to the experiences of incarcerated trans people and whether these policies altered the trajectory of their carceral sentences. While policies may state that trans people are to be respected in their identities or that carceral practices that are associated with harm should only be implemented as a last resort, evidence suggests that these policies are not transferring into practice (Brömdal, Mullens, et al., 2019 ; Mitchell et al., 2022 ; Wilson et al., 2017 ).…”

“…Trans people within prison systems are at high risk of harm due to their unique vulnerabilities interacting with carceral policies. Key issues surrounding incarcerating trans people, identified by Australian research over the past 23 years (Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), 2015 ; Blight, 2000 ; Brömdal, Clark, et al., 2019 ; Brömdal et al., 2023 ; Clark et al., 2023 ; du Plessis et al., 2023 ; Halliwell et al., 2022 ; Lynch & Bartels, 2017 ; Mann, 2006 ; Mitchell et al., 2022 ; Rodgers et al., 2017 ; Samiec, 2009 ; Sanders et al., 2023 ), include protection from sexual and physical assaults, increased access to medical care inclusive of gender-affirming treatments, the implementation of identify-affirming policies such as use of correct names and pronouns, access to gender-affirming clothing and belongings such as wigs or binders, and transparency around placement and the use of solitary confinement. Whether these needs are being met by extant correctional policies in Australia is still to be determined.…”

Correctional staff knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward incarcerated trans people: A scoping review of an emerging literature

“…From a health perspective, trans persons are classified as a ‘vulnerable group’ (Brömdal et al., 2023 ; Brown, 2014 ; Du Plessis et al., 2023 ; Winter, 2023 ) due to the discrimination, marginalization, and the extensive violence they experience, and thus often arrive at detention or incarceration facilities after shouldering considerable pressures on their mental health (Clark et al., 2017 ; Creasy et al., 2023 ; Dalzell et al., 2023 ; Hughto et al., 2022 ). Exacerbated by mistreatment from not only other incarcerated persons but those in authority, some trans people experience mental health issues such as depression, suicide ideation and self-harm or self-mutilation (Brooke et al., 2022 ; Brown & McDuffie, 2009 ; Halliwell et al., 2022 ; Hughto et al., 2022 ; Jaffer et al., 2016 ; Jenness, 2021 ; Jenness & Fenstermaker, 2014 ; Ledesma & Ford, 2020 ; Nulty et al., 2019 ; Phillips et al., 2020 ; Van Hout et al., 2020 ; Watson et al., 2023 ; Wilson et al., 2017 ).…”