Areas of Work: Criminal Justice

SRLP does a lot of work with trans and gender non-conforming people who are incarcerated, and is engaged in work with other organizations to increase justice for members of trans and gender non-conforming communities who are at risk for incaceration and currently or formerly imprisoned.

  • Prisons as a Tool for Reproductive Oppression: Cross-Movement Strategies for Gender Justice
    Remarks of Gabriel Arkles from Sylvia Rivera Law Project on panel at CR10 | September 27, 2008

    Whether they are about healthcare, placement, showers, or any number of other issues, prison policies and practices for trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming people are never about promoting anyone’s safety, health, dignity, well-being, or self-determination. Rather, they serve other interests, including maintenance of a patriarchal gender binary system and white supremacy. One of the ways that they do this is through limiting or destroying the reproductive potential of transgender people and other people in prison.

  • SRLP announces non-support of the Gender Employment Non-Discrimination Act

    In a recent letter sent to the GENDA coalition, SRLP, FIERCE, ALP, The Peter Cicchino Youth Project, and Queers for Economic Justice have jointly expressed our concerns with the problematic hate crimes legislation that has been attached to the Gender Employment Non-Discrimination Act.


  • Embracing our incarcerated trans family for the holidays.

    Sadly, many of our incarcerated transgender brothers and sisters, who have all but been forgotten, face a hostile, uncertain and very lonely future behind bars. Many of us take for granted our daily walks and the warmth of the sun on our faces or the gentle breeze through our hair. But most importantly there are those times when we don’t even stop to think about how truly privileged we are to have so many wonderful people beating down our doors to spend time with us. Find out more about how to help our community members!


    Coming Together for the Holidays
    By Stefanie Rivera


  • It's War In Here
    A Report on the Treatment of Transgender and Intersex People in NYS Men's Prisons SRLP is proud to announce the publication of a new report, It's War In Here: A Report on the Treatment of Transgender and Intersex People in New York State Men's Prisons.

  • Fixing Corrections
    The Advocate | December 15, 2009

    As a U.K. court moves to protect its MTF inmates from rape and assault, America’s transgender prisoners continue to suffer. Article features interview with SRLP Collective Members.

  • National Commission on Correctional Health Care adopts policy on Transgender Health Care in Correctional Settings

    The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, together with several other legal and medical organizations and individuals, including the TGI Justice Project, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lori Kohler of the Correctional Medicine Consultation Network, worked closely with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) to support the adoption of an official position sta


  • Prisoner Pen Pal Project

    One great way to work against the awful ways that the criminal punishment system targets people of color, trans and queer people, poor people, women and people with disabilities is to support people who are currently in prison.


  • Tips for Communicating with Transgender Clients in Prisoners’ Rights Cases
    This is a list of communication tools that we suggest attorneys use as a guide when interacting with transgender clients who are incarcerated.

  • Transforming Justice

    Conference Report & Summary