SB 487: Preventing Pregnancy in Prison

This bill would prevent the Indiana Department of Corrections from exercising leeway in choosing whether or not to house women who happen to be transgender in women’s prison facilities. Current best practice for incarcerating transgender people in Indiana leaves room for nuance, allowing corrections officials to determine what the best and safest housing options are on a case-by-case basis.  This allows them to take into account everyone’s safety, including the safety of the transgender individual being incarcerated. Transgender women are up to 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in prison than men, a problem only made worse by blanket policies like this.