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The article presents a series of observations from research that focused on transgender prisoners in Romania. Our study is not carried out under an institutional umbrella, but is rather an exploratory one, aiming to investigate the problems of this category of prisoners. Without claiming to draw exhaustive conclusions, our research has revealed that in Romania the affirmation of a gender identity different from that of one's biological sex is likely to expose the individual to a series of abuses, primarily in the environment of origin and, subsequently, in society. Conflict with criminal law often arises as a result of the social exclusion to which transgender people are subjected (housing and professional instability, sexual exploitation, substance abuse, etc.). Once in prison, they have to ensure their own protection, as relations between prisoners are primarily power-based. Even if situations of abuse exist, they are passed over in interviews because of the conditions in which the interviews were conducted (in the presence of a guard) or for fear of possible repression.
Keywords: Transgender prisoner; prison, gender, Romania
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