In watching the film Major! About Miss Major Griffin Gracy, I was reminded immediately how corrupt our criminal justice system is, especially in dealing with trans women of color, many of whom should not be in prison in the first place. A statistic from the film indicates that in combining the number of people who are in prison with those who are under parole or probation, one in every 31 adults is under some form of correctional control. With this, based on statistics from 2008, 58% of all prisoners in the US State and Federal prison population are people of color, even though they only comprise about 25% of the total US population. Another horrible fact I learned about the prison system revolves around the overuse of the Secure Housing Unit. According to the UN, solitary confinement in greater use than 15 days is considered torture. Janetta Johnson, a trans woman of color from the film, was in the Solitary Housing Unit for her “protection” for six months of her three-and-a-half-year sentence for a nonviolent drug crime. Continuing on the subject of the US justice system, it is also important to note that “crossdressing was considered a criminal offense” and all throughout the 1960s and beyond, police officers would raid gay bars to arrest people. After watching the film, I would like to know what is being done about the prison system now. I was also curious about TGI Justice, but after finding their website online I learned that they are still operating, however Miss Major has since retired, and they are currently looking for many volunteers and workers to join their program.
-MF