10 Gender and Security Toolkit Box 1: US study of gender-neutral versus gender-responsive interventions Researchers in the USA analysed the results of a large variety of studies to examine whether interventions for women offenders are effective in reducing recidivism, as well as whether gender-responsive and gender-neutral interventions differ in their effectiveness. The results, which reflected the experience of nearly 22,000 women, showed that women who participated in correctional interventions had greater odds of community success than non-participants. The studies of highest quality demonstrated that gender-responsive interventions were significantly more likely to be associated with reductions in recidivism. Source: R. Gobeil, K. Blanchette and L. Stewart (2016) “A meta-analytic review of correctional interventions for women offenders: Gender-neutral versus gender-informed approaches”, Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43, pp. 301–322. 2.4 Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression International human rights law mandates that people must be protected from discrimination and violence on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.9 However, people who identify as LGBTI or queer still suffer from systematic violations of their rights all over the world and face discrimination in places of deprivation of liberty – both as those deprived of their liberty and as those working within the institutions. In more than 70 countries same-sex sexual relationships are criminalized, and in eight of these countries the penalty is death.10 The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture highlighted that LGBTI people have reported higher rates of sexual, physical and psychological violence: … both within the criminal justice system and in other contexts such as immigration detention, medical establishments and drug rehabilitation centres. Criminal justice systems tend to overlook and neglect their specific needs at all levels. Transgender persons tend to be placed automatically in male or female prisons or wards without regard to their gender identity or expression.11 Authorities should always consider an individual’s gender identity and expression when allocating and categorizing people deprived of their liberty. The Special Rapporteur’s report goes on to say that: Fear of reprisals and a lack of trust in the complaints mechanisms frequently prevent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in custody from reporting abuses. Their placement in solitary confinement or administrative segregation for their own “protection” can constitute an infringement on the prohibition of torture and illtreatment. Authorities have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to prevent and combat violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender detainees by other detainees.12 In 2006, in response to well-documented patterns of abuse, a group of international human rights experts met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to outline a set of international principles relating to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. These principles provide a comprehensive set of standards that supplement efforts of international law to protect people from discrimination and violence.* It is important to be aware that the term LGBTI covers several distinct and different sexual orientations and gender identities. Each identity or group will have different difficulties and needs while being held in or working in places of deprivation of liberty, and even individuals within one of these identities may not have the same difficulties and needs. For example, a transgender woman may require different support than a transgender man or a lesbian woman. Equally, two transgender women may have different needs from each * See the Yogyakarta Principles and Yogyakarta Plus 10 Principles pertaining to rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. While the Yogyakarta Principles do not constitute binding law, they are distilled from the text and legal interpretation of a number of international human rights treaties which are binding on signatory state parties.