ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to describe some of the challenges and complex issues that may emerge for some transgender people in prison. Although the number of people in prison who identify as being transgender is low, this remains an important and significant issue and raises a number of challenges. The narrative and discourse around gender identity can be inhibited, and thus the potential for psychological space to explore these complex issues can be restricted. The forensic context has a long history of holding a patriarchal, binary perspective of society, and within that context, multifaceted theories of gender and identity struggle to be accepted. Within the context of prison, the prioritisation of risk may mean that complex needs can be oversimplified and often misunderstood. Such needs can be responded to harshly or punitively. This chapter presents a clinical vignette that aims to illustrate some of the complex dynamics, issues, and impact that being incarcerated can have upon individuals who do not conform to societal norms through their gender identity.
