Indicators of Social and Structural Marginalization Associated with Arrest Among Young Transgender Women

Background and purpose: Criminal legal system involvement (e.g., police contact, arrest, imprisonment) negatively impacts a range of social, economic and health outcomes. Compared to the general population, transgender adults experience high rates of criminal legal system involvement, including arrest. Nascent research with young transgender women (YTW) ages 16-29 indicates that this group may experience particularly high rates of arrest with the potential for lifelong consequences. Indicators of social and structural marginalization (e.g. homelessness, transgender related stress) are commonly reported among YTW, and these may be interrelated with arrest, however, very little research has examined these associations. The present study seeks to address this gap in the literature by investigating the association of indicators of social and structural marginalization with arrest among a sample of N = 300 transgender women ages 16-29.

Methods: Data for this study were obtained from surveys of 300 YTW collected from 2012 to 2015 in Chicago and Boston as part of an HIV-prevention intervention for YTW.  Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with a history of arrest, controlling for potential confounders. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23.

Results: Participants in the sample range in age from 16-29 (M=23.3); 49.3% identify as Black/African American, 26.2% as White, 13.4% as Latina and 11.0% as another race. A majority (55.7%) reported a history of arrest. 17.2% of participants reported having trouble with the police due to their transgender identity in the last four months. Of those who spent time in jail or juvenile detention, 78.6% of participants reported being housed with men during their last detention. Social and structural factors significantly associated with a history of arrest in the multivariate model included: having been a ward of state (OR=2.40, p<.03), experiencing homelessness (OR=2.39, p<.02), engagement in sex work (OR=4.9, p<.001), and transgender related stress (OR=1.18, p<.04). 

Conclusions and implications: Utilizing secondary data from a sample of YTW, this study fills an important gap in the literature examining factors associated with arrest for YTW. YTW in the sample reported high rates of arrest, and almost a fifth report trouble with police due to transgender identity. Once inside jails and juvenile detention, the majority of participants reported being housed with men, which may lead to increased experiences of violence and discrimination. Given the negative outcomes associated with a history of arrest, deterring YTW from arrest is imperative, and these findings indicate several opportunities for social work practice and policy interventions. In particular, these findings suggest that interventions should support YTW who are experiencing homelessness, engaged in sex work, or who have a history of child welfare system involvement.