Transgender Woman Files Third Lawsuit Against IDOC To Stop Alleged Abuse

A transgender woman has filed a third lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections seeking immediate protection from alleged ongoing abuse from guards at the Lawrence Correctional Center, a medium-security men’s prison in downstate Sumner, Illinois. The lawsuit, filed by the MacArthur Justice Center and the Chicago-based Uptown People’s Law Center, alleges that guards at the facility sexually harassed, threatened, verbally, and physically abused Strawberry Hampton, a 27-year old transgender woman. Hampton has spent nine months in solitary confinement due to retaliatory disciplinary tickets IDOC officials imposed upon her. “As a woman in a man’s prison, Strawberry fights for her survival every day,” said Vanessa del Valle, counsel for Ms. Hampton with MacArthur Justice Center, in a press release. “Instead of protecting her and housing her in a woman’s prison where she can be kept safe, IDOC officials have housed her with men, thrown her in segregation, and refused to provide her with the mental health care she needs. We tried to keep Strawberry safe without anther lawsuit. But IDOC officials ignored Strawberry’s cries for help and protection. So now, Illinois taxpayer dollars will be wasted while IDOC attempts to defend these indefensible actions in court.” (CBSChicago)