Dismantling the Discrimination to Incarceration Pipeline for Trans People of Color

Abstract

This Article introduces readers to the concept of the Discrimination-to-Incarceration Pipeline, which describes the ways that transgender and gender-nonconforming ("trans") people experience discrimination and societal exclusion that thrusts them into poverty, criminalized economies, and ultimately the system of mass incarceration at alarming rates.

The Article makes unique contributions to the scholarly literature by examining the systemic discrimination that trans people of color face, and its collateral effects, using a both legal and sociological lens.

The Article ultimately proposes a bold set of policy solutions aimed at dismantling the Discrimination-to-Incarceration Pipeline for the sake of generations to come. The Article ends with a call to action that is both timely and urgent given the current political climate in the United States, and the onslaught of anti-trans legislation nationwide aimed at rolling back trans rights.

Keywords: transgender, trans, discrimination, harassment, anti-trans bills, transphobia, eighth amendment, constitutitional rights, discrimination-to-incarceration pipeline, sex work, decriminializaiton, cash bail, crimmigration