“Coming Out” of Prison: An Exploratory Study of LGBT Elders in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

This two-phase qualitative study explores the experiences of ten formerly incarcerated LGBT elders' experiences prior to, during, and after release from prison. A core theme of self and the social mirror emerged from the data that represented LGBT elders ongoing coming out process of unearthing their 'true selves' despite managing multiple stigmatized identities or social locations, such as being LGBT, elderly, HIV positive, formerly incarcerated, and a racial/ethnic minority. These findings further our awareness of an overlooked population of LGBT who are older and involved in the criminal justice system. Recommendations that incorporate suggestions from formerly incarcerated LGBT elders for services and policy reform are presented.

Views and Experiences of LGBTQ+ People in Prison Regarding Their Psychosocial Needs: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Research Evidence

“…Following this step, a total of 21 full text papers were assessed for eligibility using the specified inclusion criteria. A hand search was also conducted of the reference lists of the identified papers leaving a total of 12 papers for the review [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. In line with PRISMA guidelines, this review has been registered with PROSPERO.…”

“…The 12 studies that addressed the aim and objectives of the review are contained in Table 3. The majority of studies (n = 9) were undertaken in the USA [21,22,[24][25][26][27][30][31][32]. The remaining studies were from Australia (n = 2) [23,28] and Brazil/Italy (n = 1) [29].…”

“…One study recruited service users with a recent history of incarceration through an AIDS service organization [22] and another recruited older adults who were either released from or were currently serving time in a state prison [27]. Two studies were based in a single male adult prison [24,25].…”

“…The study characteristics are presented in Table 3. [27] To explore the experiences of formerly incarcerated LGBT elders before, during, and after prison.…”

“…Sexual orientation, sexual and gender identity are terms that have only recently received attention in criminal justice systems and the experiences of LGBTQ+ people while incarcerated [24,25]. There are many reasons that LGBTQ+ people may choose not to disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation whilst in prison due to the threat of transphobia, homophobia and biphobia [23,26,27]. Many people feel discriminated against, stigmatized, threatened and may encounter physical or sexual violence or abuse [21,22,25].…”