San Diego
Trans woman is put in a prison cell with men, where her jaw is broken – now she is complaining
During the assault in the prison cell, the victim’s jaw was broken several times. (Symbol image)
© BrilliantEye / Getty Images
A trans woman was jailed with several men in the US state of California. One of these men is said to have hit her and broken her jaw several times. The victim is now suing the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
After officials from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department locked a transgender woman in a jail cell with three men and was beaten so badly by one of the inmates that her jaw broke several times, she is now suing the Sheriffs Department. The “Los Angeles Times” reports. Because of her injuries, the victim, Kristina F., had to undergo multiple operations. In addition, she has not yet fully recovered, according to the lawsuit.
“Sadly – and predictably – one of the men in the cell brutally attacked Ms. F.,” the lawsuit said. “His closed fist blows to Ms. F’s face resulted in serious physical injuries, including a broken jaw that previously required two operations to fix it.”
Victims not detained in the facility based on their gender identity
The decision to move Kristina F. to a cell with three men appears to violate a circular issued by the Sheriff’s Department in February saying that “an arrested person should be placed in a facility that matches his / her gender identity”.
Already the first sentence of the circular says: “It is the rule of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to admit, evaluate, accommodate and ensure safe and humane custody of all persons, including transgender, intersex and non-binary persons . Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ +) communities are among those most at risk of sexual abuse. “
Kristina F. identified herself as a woman
When she was arrested and taken into custody, Kristina F. was wearing women’s clothing. She identified herself with her driver’s license, which also identified her as a woman. “Nevertheless, the officers repeatedly addressed Ms. F. incorrectly, both personally and in the official reports documenting the attack,” the complaint said.
According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in early November 2021, Kristina F. was charged with a minor crime and should not be in custody for long periods of time. However, when she arrived at the Central Male Prison on November 25, 2020, she was transferred from one holding cell to another cell that already contained three men. When she fell asleep, a man woke her up and beat her.
In custody without medical attention for over 12 hours
According to the lawsuit, one or more guards were watching the attack and did not try to prevent it. “Ms. F. saw one or more deputies pause in front of the cell before they came in to intervene.”
Kristina F. then spent more than 12 hours in custody without receiving any medical care, according to the court documents. After she was released, she was taken to a hospital where two broken jaws were diagnosed. She had to be operated on twice and her mouth wired. “Ms. F. continues to suffer from these injuries and now has to wear artificial teeth,” says the application. Now she is demanding an unspecified amount of damages.
Highest death rate
The lawsuit states that San Diego County has the highest inmate death rate among California’s largest counties. More than 140 inmates died behind bars between 2009 and 2019 – the results of a six-month investigation published by the San Diego Union Tribune in 2019.
source: Los Angeles Times