Advocate for ‘gender affirming care’ for prisoners named by AG Garland to corrections advisory board

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a progressive state prison official — who was instrumental in establishing “gender-affirming care” for trans inmates in Washington state — to serve on the Justice Department’s National Institute of Corrections (NIC) advisory board. 

Among the policies implemented was one where pat-downs or other searches would be “performed by a correctional officer of the gender formally requested by the transgender individual.” For example, a biologically male inmate identifying as a trans woman could require that a female prison guard perform the search.

Cheryl Strange was first appointed to the position of Washington state Department of Corrections Secretary by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in May 2021. 

“This is a great honor at the tail end of my career,” Strange said in a statement Monday. “In Washington state, we have enacted nation-leading reforms that have created a more humane corrections system while also improving public safety. I look forward to participating with other national leaders at the federal and state government levels on approaches that can be implemented nationally.”

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Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

According to its website, NIC works “to influence correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide” in both federal and state correctional systems. The NIC advisory board provides recommendations to raise prison standards to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice and Congress. 

Strange’s appointment to the NIC board comes just days before the November general election.

“Secretary Strange’s appointment is a testament to her lifelong commitment to public service and reform,” Federal Bureau of Prisons director Colette Peters said in a news release Monday. “Her progressive leadership transformed Washington state’s corrections system, prioritizing both public safety and humane treatment and her vision and experience will be invaluable as NIC and the Advisory Board work to raise the standard of corrections nationwide.”

Last year, the Washington DOC and Disability Rights Washington agreed to change their policies regarding transgender inmates as part of a settlement that began in 2019. 

Under the new terms, the Washington DOC implemented a “Gender-Affirming Mental Health Specialist” to each prison and required “more transgender-focused training to correctional officers and provide gender-affirming clothing to transgender individuals.” 

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(Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Cheryl Strange, inset, to serve on the Justice Department’s National Institute of Corrections advisory board.)

The agency’s compliance with the new policy will be monitored until 2026.

“This is a landmark agreement and we look forward to continuing to work closely with DRW to implement it,” Strange said in a statement at the time. “We have already made substantial improvements to the gender-affirming care offered to transgender incarcerated individuals in recent years, and this is another step in the right direction.”

The agreement also included that the “DOC will ensure that transgender individuals in restrictive housing still have access to gender-affirming property,” as well as “Pat-downs and searches of transgender individuals will be performed by a correctional officer of the gender formally requested by the transgender individual.”

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Transgender policies have been a point of contention in the U.S. (Adobe Stock)

According to a DOC news release, “The department has already taken significant steps to update its policies to ensure the equitable treatment transgender, intersex and non-binary incarcerated individuals since Secretary Strange’s arrival in 2021.”

Washington is one of several states that have enacted transgender treatments for inmates on the taxpayer dollar in recent years.

Strange has also helped reform other aspects of the prison system, such as programs geared at lowering recidivism rates among inmates, like education and job skill training.

The Justice Department did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.