Cruel and Unusual (2006)

Five transgender women share their prison experiences. Interviews with attorneys, doctors, and other experts are also included.

Directors:

Janet Baus (as Janet W. Baus), Dan Hunt

Stars:

Ashley, Ophelia DeLonte, Anna Connelly

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashley	...	Herself - Tucker Unit, Arkansas Department of Corrections
Ophelia DeLonte	...	Herself - Marion Correctional Facility (as Ophelia De'Lonta)
Anna Connelly	...	Herself - Former Prisoner, Florida Department of Corrections
George Brown	...	Himself - Psychiatrist (as Dr. George Brown)
Dean Spade	...	Himself - Attorney, Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Yolanda Valentin	...	Herself - Inmate, Yardsville Youth Correctional Facility
Dana Turner	...	Herself - Attorney, Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Bruce Bistline	...	Himself - Attorney
Linda Thompson	...	Herself
Lea Cooper	...	Herself - Attorney
Christopher Patella	...	Himself - Attorney
Ralph Froelick	...	Himself - Sheriff, Union County, NJ (as Sheriff Ralph Froelick)
Dainna Cicotello	...	Herself - Transsexual Educator
Victor Glasberg	...	Himself - Ophelia's Attorney
Peter Vieth	...	Himself - Defense Attorney

Storyline

Imagine being a woman in a men's prison. For many individuals, this is a grim reality because the U.S. prison system decides where to place inmates based on their genitalia, not their gender identity. This award-winning documentary makes an unflinching examination of transgender women in men's prisons. Ashley, Linda, Anna, Yolanda and Ophelia describe their experiences undergoing inhumane and humiliating treatment including rape, violence, solitary confinement and denial of medial care. One interviewee explains. "A lot of times I wake up, and I look around at my surroundings, and I see all these men. I think, 'What am I doing here?'" The women in Cruel and Unusual don't deny that they must serve their sentences, but their stories raise very important questions about their treatment. Are the human rights of these women and many others across the United States violated? If Gender Identity Disorder is a recognized condition by the American Psychiatric Association, should inmates receive ...

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Plot Keywords:

prison | inmates | transgender | doctor | sexual reassignment surgery | 

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Taglines:

Imagine being a woman in a men's prison.

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cruel and Unusual: Transgender Women in Prison

Filming Locations:

Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, Highbridge Road, Yardville, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reid Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color (HDCAM) Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (D.S.M. IV) defines Gender Identity Disorder as: "Identification with the opposite sex and the experience of considerable distress because of one's actual sex."

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