Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) has introduced the Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act, which aims to require the Bureau of Prisons to house inmates based on their biological sex rather than gender identity. The proposed legislation would also withhold specific federal grants from states that do not comply with this policy.
In a statement, Senator Cotton said, “Prisoners should be placed based on their biological sex, not on what they chose to ‘identify’ as. Documented cases prove that placing men—including men who ‘identify’ as women—in women’s prisons puts female inmates at increased risk of sexual assault. My bill decreases the risk for women by ensuring men and women are separated in federal prison.”
The bill seeks to prohibit housing prisoners of different biological sexes together and would make certain state funding contingent upon adherence to this rule.
