LGBTQ people in prison

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in prison face difficulties which non-LGBTQ prisoners and non-incarcerated LGBTQ people do not. LGBTQ prisoners have been identified as having an increased vulnerability to sexual assault, other kinds of violence, and trouble accessing necessary medical care. While much of the available data on LGBTQ inmates comes from the United States, Amnesty International maintains records of known incidents internationally in which LGBTQ prisoners and those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have suffered torture, ill-treatment and violence at the hands of fellow inmates as well as prison officials.

One US-based human rights organization, Just Detention International, describes LGBTQ inmates as "among the most vulnerable in the prison population." In California prisons, two-thirds of LGBTQ people report that they were assaulted while incarcerated. The vulnerability of LGBTQ prisoners has led some prisons to separate them from other prisoners, while in others they are housed with the general population.

Historically, LGBTQ people in the United States have been socially and economically vulnerable due to their queer status. Policy, policing and the criminal justice system have historically perpetrated violence upon marginalized populations, like the queer community. This along with criminalizing same sex behaviors have created a disproportionate population of LGBTQ people in US-based prisons.

Rates of imprisonment

Rates of imprisonment in the United States

In the United States, LGBTQ individuals are incarcerated at a higher rate than the general population. An analysis of data collected between 2011 and 2012 found that same-sex attracted adults were incarcerated at a rate of 1,882 per 100,000, more than triple the national average, with the discrepancy largely driven by a large overrepresentation of lesbian and bisexual women.