Prison sentences must be proportionate to the crimes committed. While some serve several years for offences like theft or robbery, others will never regain their freedom due to more severe crimes. A wide cross-section of society ends up behind bars, and transgender individuals are among them.

The struggles faced by transgender prisoners are exemplified by Weronika's case. A transgender woman undergoing hormone therapy, Weronika, was sent to Siedlce prison, where, according to Rzeczpospolita, the prison warden refused to allow her treatment to continue.

This impasse was only resolved after the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruling, which granted Weronika the right to resume her therapy. Many other prisoners face challenges similar to Weronika's.

"The main bottleneck in this system is the prison doctor, who has the final say on whether inmates can access specialists outside the penitentiary," Przemysław Walas, head of advocacy at the Campaign Against Homophobia, told Rzeczpospolita.

Transgender prisoners are often placed in solitary confinement, ostensibly for their protection. However, in practice, this isolation functions more as a form of disciplinary punishment, increasing the risk of depression and other mental health issues. According to Rzeczpospolita, transgender inmates frequently face harassment not only from fellow prisoners but also from prison staff.

There is hope that the conditions for transgender prisoners may soon improve. A team is being established at the Central Prison Service Board to assess their situation. The objective of the experts "will be to analyse the circumstances of transgender prisoners in penitentiary units and propose solutions to ensure they are provided with appropriate conditions while serving their sentences." These remarks were made by Col. Andrzej Pecka, Director General of the Prison Service, in a statement to Deputy Ombudsman Wojciech Brzozowski.

Col. Pecka's response follows a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which addressed the case of Weronika, whose right to privacy was violated while imprisoned. As a result of the judgment, Poland is required to pay Weronika €8,000 in damages.

Source: Rzeczpospolita