FORT WORTH, TEXAS — The Justice Department plans to transfer transgender women involved in a federal lawsuit to a secure, segregated unit at Federal Medical Center Carswell, seeking to resolve conflicting legal disputes over inmate housing and safety.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons notified a Washington court that the plaintiffs in Jane Doe v. Blanche would be housed separately from the prison’s general female population. Four plaintiffs already at Carswell have been moved into the specialized wing.
The arrangement follows an order in a separate Texas case requiring Carswell to prevent inmates assigned male at birth from sharing housing and common areas with the female plaintiffs. The unit includes separate shower schedules and other measures limiting contact between the populations.
The transgender plaintiffs previously obtained an injunction temporarily preventing their transfer to men’s prisons. They argued that such placements would expose them to an increased risk of sexual violence.
Their attorneys now contend that the Carswell unit amounts to restrictive isolation, limiting medical appointments, legal visits, education, recreation and social interaction. Four inmates submitted declarations alleging deteriorating mental health and renewed gender dysphoria.
The plaintiffs have asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to block the remaining transfers or restore broader movement at Carswell. Lamberth scheduled oral arguments for July 29 before deciding whether the proposed arrangement complies with his earlier injunction.
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