A group of plaintiffs is asking a federal judge to hold the Illinois Department of Corrections in contempt of court for failing to comply with a court order to address deficiencies in providing treatment to transgender inmates.
The five women, representing the class of all transgender inmates in state custody, say the department is not providing hormone therapy to more than one-third of inmates, and for those who are receiving it, the care is often not in line with professional guidelines. And they say despite the court order, Corrections has not provided any inmates with gender-affirming surgery and has even stopped assessing inmates for surgical care.
The complaint also says the department is not properly housing transgender inmates and is providing little or no training to staff on gender issues.
