This is a part of No Pride in Prisons’ Abolitionist demands. These demands were originally published as a book. To see a pdf of the book, click here. To buy a copy, please email info@noprideinprisons.org.nz 

Following the 2013 change in policy regarding the housing of trans and intersex people in New Zealand prisons, rules around the provision of gender affirming medical care became less clear.[1] Prior to the changes, trans people were banned from starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in prison, but could continue HRT at their own cost.[2] Gender affirmation surgery was forbidden under prison regulations.[3]

However, after the 2013 rule changes, all mention of medical care for trans prisoners was removed from the Prison Operations Manual.[4]No Pride in Prisons then sent an Official Information Act (OIA) request to the Department of Corrections to uncover exactly what the policy is. For the first time, and in response to the OIA request, Corrections said that it treats HRT as it would any other medical treatment.[5] With regards to gender affirmation surgery, it appears that Corrections would not prevent incarcerated people from getting that surgery.[6]

The issue remains, however, that in New Zealand the waiting list for publicly funded affirmation surgery is currently 140 years long.[7] That means the prospect of getting this healthcare is effectively impossible both inside and outside prison for people who cannot afford unfunded surgery. In order for this demand to be met, changes are required to the New Zealand health system outside of prison to allow for easy and high quality access to this treatment.

No Pride in Prisons also demands consistent, high quality access to HRT. We are making this demand because although it appears, on paper, that people can now start HRT while in prison, in practice it can be quite different. No Pride in Prisons is in contact with one trans woman who does not get the dosage of oestrogen that she needs and had received on the outside. Another woman who has contacted us is having difficulty getting doctors to start her treatment. HRT and affirmation surgery can be life-saving medical treatment and both incarcerated and non-incarcerated trans people deserve consistently high quality access to it.[8]

[1]Corrections Amendment Regulations (No 2) 2013.

[2] Beverley Wakem and David McGee, Investigation of the Department of Corrections in Relation to the Provision, Access and Availability of Prisoner Health Services (New Zealand: Ombudsman, 2012).

[3] Department of Corrections, M.03.05 of the former Prison Services Operations Manual (no longer available). Quoted in, Beverley Wakem and David McGee, Investigation of the Department of Corrections in Relation to the Provision, Access and Availability of Prisoner Health Services (New Zealand: Ombudsman, 2012).

[4] Department of Corrections, “M.03.05 Transgender and Intersex Prisoner,” Department of Corrections, 4 August 2016. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-Manual/Movement/M.03-Specified-gender-and-age-movements/M.03-4.html.

[5] Jeremy Lightfoot, “Response C76663,” FYI.org.nz, 29 April 2016. https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/3701/response/12756/attach/html/3/Response%20C76663.pdf.html.