Transgender Women Sues Georgia
Allison Rojo
Ashley Diamonds
- 37 year old transgender
- At age 6, she already knew she was "different" than everyone else
- Was diagnosied of gender identity disorder at age 15 after trying to commit suicide
- She was told to live as a girl before starting hormone therapy, which lead to her father kicking her out of their house
- Moved in with a "white privileged family"
- Befriended Mr.Sumlin
- Her downfall began with boyfriends,one in particular, who convinced her nobody could love her
- This led her into drugs and petty crimes. She started being arrested, getting barred from places like Taco Bell and Pawn Mart, and getting sentenced to probation.
- In 2010, Ashley stole just under $10,000 from Mr.Sumlin
- About a year later, sheriff’s deputies with a warrant for her arrest on other charges knocked on the door of her mother’s home.
- A deputy was climbing through the kitchen window and she was being taken into custody at gunpoint.
- The deputies claim that Ms. Diamond, with her hands cuffed behind her back, managed to reach out through a crack in the rear window, open the door from the outside and escape.
- With her probation revoked and new convictions on escape, Ashley was sent to prison in March 2012, with a maximum release date of November 2023.
Ashley Dimond's Lawsuit
A first-time inmate at 33 whose major offense was burglary, Ashley was sent to a series of high-security lockups for violent male prisoners. She has been raped at least seven times by inmates. She has been mocked by prison officials as a “he-she thing” and thrown into solitary confinement for “pretending to be a woman.”
Ashley was denied hormone treatment that she has taken for the past 17 years. She has undergone drastic physical changes without hormones. And, in desperation, she has tried to kill herself several times.
Augusta State Medical Prison
- Grovetown Georgia
- Richmond County
- medical prison, that houses adult male offenders who need either medical or mental health treatment
- opened in 1983
- Ranks highest in assult
- warden is Dennis Brown
- also gives mental health services to female offenders
- currently holds 1326 inmates.
- inmates can participate in religious activities
- inmates can take classes in adult basic education and learn to read
- 7 nursing units
- managed by the Department of Georgia Corrections
- closed security prison
- open dormitory
- Offenders can also work in conjunction with the department of transportation, do in house custodial and landscape work, as well as warehouse and maintenance.
Inmate Case Points
- held in an all males prison
- denied hormones needed
- harassed by inmates and officers
- raped 7 or 8 times
Court Ruling
The Justice Department said denying her the hormones was unconstitutional but it wasn't certain that they would be proving them. Medicine that has been taken before being arrested will be provided.
Works Cited
- http://www.prisonpro.com/content/augusta-state-medical-prison
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/us/ashley-diamond-transgender-inmate-cites-attacks-and-abuse-in-mens-prison.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/us/transgender-inmate-who-sued-georgia-gets-unexpected-parole.html?_r=1
- http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/08/31/black-trans-woman-ashley-diamond-released-prison-after-3-years