Towards a LGBTI-wise penology? Assessing the experiences, needs and human rights framework of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in Belgian prisons.

LGBTI prisoners constitute a hidden and vulnerable group of prisoners with special needs. However, LGBTI prisoners’ specific experiences, needs and rights receive little attention, neither in research nor in policy. The goal of this project is to assess the experiences and needs of LGBTI prisoners in Belgium and research the application of human rights on LGBTI persons in prisons. This study will be the first to specifically research LGBTI prisoners in Belgium and the translation of human rights on gender identity and sexual orientation in the Belgian penitentiary context. This project proposes an innovative approach to address methodological and ethical issues of researching LGBTI persons in prison. This study uses proxy-respondents (professionals from supporting services working with LGBTI persons during and after detention) as datasources and gatekeepers to provide access to LGBTI (ex-)prisoners through a multi-method approach which includes a quantitative survey and several phases of qualitative interviews. The project aims to produce: 1) an overview of experiences and needs of LGBTI prisoners in Belgium, 2) an evaluation of the application of human rights on LGBTI prisoners in practice, 3) an overview of existing (good) practices regarding LGBTI prisoners, and 4) a framework for a LGBTI-wise penology and its implications for policy makers.