Colorado would become the first state in the nation to create segregated holding units for transgender women in prisons, if approved by a judge.
rear class action lawsuit A judge is scheduled to issue his next ruling in a 2019 lawsuit filed by several transgender inmates against the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) alleging discrimination, harassment and assault. consent decree It would bring further changes to the state’s prisons, including surgical sex reassignment and hormone treatment, Fox News Digital reported.
The consent decree, a court-ordered settlement of a legal dispute, requires all trans women currently or formerly incarcerated at CDOC to respond to the level of assault, discrimination, and harassment they suffered while in prison. It also seeks a payment of $2.1 million. Awards could range from $1,000 to $10,000 per plaintiff.
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Left to right: Corwin Raven, Keith Rivers, Andre Karpiels, Jordan Galentine. (Courtesy of CDOC)
Several of the plaintiffs seeking judicial approval of consent decrees are currently serving life sentences without parole for murder and assault, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Keith Rivers, 46, known as “Cupcake,” is currently serving a life sentence for killing the victim outside a bar in 1999. According to the class action lawsuit, Rivers came out as transgender in 2004 and “he has repeatedly requested surgery.” She is denied “treatment for her gender dysphoria,” but “and she is in desperate need of competent talk therapy related to gender dysphoria.”
Another plaintiff, 47-year-old Andre Karpies, known as “Lavinya,” is also serving a life sentence without parole for first-degree murder. Karpiesh is currently being held at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, according to CDOC records.
According to the class action lawsuit, Karpies began hormone replacement therapy in 2016 and “continues to suffer from severe depression due to her influence.” [gender dysphoria] And I have always lived in fear of being raped in a men’s facility. ”
Jordan Galentine, 33, known as “Jane,” is also in prison for “attempted suicide by cop” and assault. The complaint says Galentine “lives in a constant state of severe anxiety and depression due to lack of medical care, lack of mental health treatment, and persistent fear of sexual assault and unintentional death.”
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The plaintiff, Corwin Raven, 35, known as “Candace,” is currently in prison for two assault charges and is scheduled to be released in 2026. Court documents say Raven “has twice attempted suicide and attempted self-castration as a coping mechanism.” Her severe gender dysphoria. ”
“Her numerous requests for transition-related surgeries have been denied by CDOC,” the lawsuit claims.
A CDOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that they are “excited.” [a decision] “It is expected to happen soon, but there is no concrete schedule,” he said of the final decision.
According to court documents, the ruling “significantly improves the medical and mental health care provided” to plaintiffs and protects them from “cross-gender searches…on women’s canteen items (such as cosmetics).” “Prohibit access and require CDOC to properly identify transgender inmates.” “We are also increasing training on transgender issues for CDOC staff, medical and mental health providers, and leaders.”
Colorado is not the first state to expand facilities to include hormone treatment and surgical gender reassignment for transgender people. A similar incident in Washington last year required similar treatment for inmates. And this week, the Justice Department ruled that the Utah Department of Corrections discriminated against transgender inmates by denying them hormone therapy.
Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams said the consent decree is another step by the “woke left” toward “overturning our criminal justice system.”
“We’re making accommodations for people who shouldn’t be making accommodations,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “This is an outrageous situation.”
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for it so these people can feel safe,” Williams said. “Especially if they committed murder.”
This legislation would enact several changes. First, we created two separate housing units for transgender female inmates: the Volunteer Transgender Unit (VTU) at Sterling Men’s Correctional Facility and the Integrated Unit (IU) at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. Establish.
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The initial lawsuit, filed on behalf of more than 100 trans women at CDOC, claimed that CDOC had been “exposed.”[d] They were subjected to harassment, rape, sexual assault, and other violence at the hands of guards and other inmates.
Paula Greisen, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said the law is “aimed at bringing new safety measures to protect women from the harms of men’s prisons.”
Greisen told Fox News Digital that the legislation “allows class participants to transition to gender-affirming housing in women’s facilities and ensures that necessary medical and mental health treatment is provided.” I will,” he said.
“These changes have the overwhelming support of the transgender community, and we are all confident that the court will sign the decision,” she said.
