Caging Devience- Ritchie

Ritchie discusses the different ways Prisons can be cages for LGBTQ inmates and the ways the prison system can enable violence against the community. Ritchie specifically states that sexual violence occurs at a disproportionate rate towards inmates that identify as LGBTQ. She goes on to explain that sexual violence is then used as a way to make inmates conform to gender roles or heterosexual norms. Male prisoners who are seen as masculine are not targeted for sexual violence. Prisoners who exhibit traits typically associated with femininity are targeted as being weak and are at risk for sexual violence.

I think it is interesting that stereotypical traits regarding masculinity are a way for prisoners to target victims. I find the actions of those committing sexual violence contrary to what they claim to enforce. If they commit sexual violence towards inmates of the same sex are they not reinforcing homosexual tendencies? If prisoners are engaging in homosexual sexual activity would the perpetrators then be targeted? I thought it was a weird dynamic for prisoners to be engaging in the very activities they condemn as a form of showing their power.

Ritchie also talks about how sexual violence is a way for prison  staff to get what they want. They may allow or prohibit sexual acts to reinforce their power. I thought it was also important to note that women who are incarcerated are more likely to experience sexual violence by prison staff. Prison staff reinforce their power by sexual violence towards women, but male prisoners are still allowed that little bit of power in the form of not being subjected to sexual violence from prison staff. This shows that displays of gender dynamics and a sort of respect for male hierarchy are even prevalent in a system where prison staff have all the power.

  While reading this piece I kept thinking of how the prison system and other state systems criminalize certain groups for identity-related issues. One of my big interests is LGBTQ youth in foster care. Even from a young age LGBTQ youth are at risk for violence in state custody. Whether it be juvenile facilities or foster care. LGBTQ youth who age out of the system are then more likely to be homeless which then results in a higher likelihood or being imprisoned. https://www.hrc.org/resources/lgbt-youth-in-the-foster-care-system

We know that the prison atmosphere enforces violence against LGBTQ people, but how do other state systems, such as foster care, contribute to violence against LGBTQ people? Are these systems inherently violent towards LGBTQ people?