Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T07:31:22.639Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Developing policies for adult sexual minorities with mental health needs in secured settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2020

Juan Carlos Arguello Open the ORCID record for Juan Carlos Arguello [Opens in a new window]
Juan Carlos Arguello*
Affiliation:
Office of Medical and Psychiatric Services, Clinical Operations, California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA
*
*Address correspondence to: Juan C. Arguello, D.O. 1600 9th Street, Room 400, Sacramento, CA 95816, USA. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people are more likely to be disproportionally placed in a secured setting such jails, prisons, and forensic hospitals. These settings can be traumatizing, hostile, and dangerous—especially for those who are suffering from mental illness. Administrators are encouraged to develop institutional policies that undoubtedly include that LGBT residents should be free of discrimination, victimization, and abuse. LGBT residents should have equal access to safe housing, vocational programs, rehabilitation services, as well as medical and mental health treatments. Several organizations provide guidelines to ensure that LGBT residents are protected. This article provides a general roadmap for developing LGBT policies in secured settings synergizing the recommendations of some of these organizations with emphasis on policy guidelines for transgender people that are not only standards for good care but also very cost-effective interventions that can help reduce symptoms of mental illness for this population.

Keywords

LGBT policiesLGBT mental healthpreventing victimization of transgender inmatespolicies for LGBT in secure settingsdeveloping policies for LGBT inmatesLGBT mental health in jailLGBT mental health in prisons.
Type
Review
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 618 - 623
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

The findings and conclusions in “Developing policies for adult sexual minorities with mental health needs in secured settings” are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Department of State Hospitals or the California Health and Human Services Agency.

References

References:

Meyer, IH, Flores, AR, Stemple, L, et al. Incarceration rates and traits of sexual minorities in the United States: National Inmate Survey, 2011–2012. Am J Public Health. 2017;107(2):267–273.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Center for American Progress. Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails LGBT People. Washington, DC; 2016.Google Scholar
Mereish, EH, Poteat, VP A relational model of sexual minority mental and physical health: the negative effects of shame on relationships, loneliness, and health. J Couns Psychol. 2015;62(3):425–437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valentine, SE, Shipherd, JC A systematic review of social stress and mental health among transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States. Clin Psychol Rev. 2018;66:24–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer, IH Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychol Bull. 2003;129(5):674–697.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kidd, SA, Howison, M, Pilling, M, et al. Severe mental illness in LGBT populations: a scoping review. Psychiatr Serv. 2016;67(7):779–783.Google ScholarPubMed
Pandya, A. Mental health as an advocacy priority in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. J Psychiatr Pract. 2014;20(3):225–227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Center for Transgender Equality. Policies to Increase Safety and Respect for Transgender Prisoners: A Guide for Agencies and Advocates. Washington, DC; 2018.Google Scholar
Beck, AJ, Berzofsky, M, Caspar, R, et al. Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2011–12-Update (Bureau of Justice Statistics NCJ 241399). Washington, DC; 2014.Google Scholar
National Center for Transgender Equality. LGBT People and the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Washington, DC; 2012.Google Scholar
United States Department of Justice. Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 (P.L. 108-79); 2003.Google Scholar
The Williams Institute Sexual Minority Assessment Research Team. Best Practices for Asking Questions about Sexual Orientation on Surveys; 2009. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/SMART-FINAL-Nov-2009.pdf. Accessed May-June, 2019.Google Scholar
The National PREA Resource Center; 2019. https://www.prearesourcecenter.org. Accessed August 15, 2019.Google Scholar
Beck, AJ Use of Restrictive Housing in US Prisons and Jails, 2011-12 (Bureau of Justice Statistics NCJ249209). Washington, DC; 2015.Google Scholar
Coleman, E, Bockting, W, Botzer, M, et al. Standards of care for the health of transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people, version 7. Int J Transgend. 2012;13(4):165–232.Google Scholar
Smith, BV, Yarussi, JM Policy Review and Development Guide: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Persons in Custodial Settings, 2nd Edition United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections; 2015.Google Scholar
The Joint Commission. Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Community: A Field Guide. Oak Brook, IL; 2011.Google Scholar