New California Law Could Put Male Serial Rapists Into Women’s Prisons

On January 1, California’s SB-132, which mandates housing prisoners according to their gender identity, took effect. Since then, 261 transfer requests have been made under the law — nearly all men seeking transfers to women’s prisons.

To date, only a few transfers have occurred, with the Department of Corrections blaming COVID. While an evergreen excuse, in reality, SB-132 created a nightmare scenario, leaving prisons unable to protect female inmates if they actually do what the law requires.

Last September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB-132 into law, declaring the statute represented another step forward in the march toward equality for LGBTQ people. Those championing the law, such as the bill’s author, state Sen. Scott Wiener, cheered the statute as supporting “the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s efforts to provide a safe, humane, respectful and rehabilitative environment for the incarcerated transgender, non-binary and intersex community.”