Orange is the New Black, a comedy drama TV show that first aired on Netflix is 2013, follows Piper Chapman on her journey through an all women’s minimum security prison. The show is critically acclaimed because it brings up topics that many people are afraid to talk about. Not only is it taking on the topic of female prisoner in the United States prison system, it also reaches out and talks about race, sexuality and gender. Throughout the series, there are many reoccurring characters that Chapman runs in to, or befriends all who have their own set of unique experiences and problems. There is one character that really sticks out and is not usually seen on television.
Sophia Burset, another inmate within the series, is a transgender female, who although was born a male, identifies as a female, and was sent to an all female prison. Although this may not seem different to some, transgender inmates within the correctional system is not as easy as a TV show may make it look. Although transgender persons are not new phenomena to society, the stigma that comes along with being a transgender individual is still very prevalent in today’s culture. Not only do transgender individuals face discrimination in their sexual orientation, workforce, the healthcare system and other areas of their lives, they also can face many challenges in the criminal justice system. Due to the ever growing changing and developing society, transgender inmates in prisons and jails face various difficulties and challenges once they enter into the criminal justice system. Annotated bibliography Buist, C. L., & Stone, C. (2014). Transgender victims and offenders: Failures of the united states criminal justice system and the necessity of queer criminology. Critical Criminology, 22(1), 35-47. This article differs from the others because …show more content…
This article argues that criminology needs to go more in-depth into exploring the unique experiences of the transgender population when they enter into the Criminal Justice System. First, the article goes in detail about the legal classification of transgender inmates within the penal system and how transgender individuals fall into the gender binary system. It also points out cultural stereotypes of transgender individuals and gives example through three different cases of transgender victims who faced violence due to their sexual orientation. The piece emphasizes the concepts that are often associated with transgender and how the criminal justice system responds to these ideas. Finally the article notes that further research is important to the topic of transgender inmates an the criminal justice …show more content…
Jackie Tate, who identified as a female, and was incarcerated as a male. She faced numerous challenges, such as isolation, harassment and abuse. The article continues on to note the difference of gender and sex, and talk about understanding the concept of a transgender individual and how they are viewed in the correctional system. The article focuses on various ways that transgender inmates are classified and segregated due to their sexual orientation. Although it gives many negative affects of segregating transgender inmates, the article notes that it may be necessary in certain prison settings and goes into detail about how judicial review and the court system can be used to help protect the basic rights of transgender individuals. The article also talks about the use of the three-tiered system of scrutiny that the courts use to evaluating claims against transgender inmates under the 14th