Gender Affirming Care Grievances

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

-All grievances submitted to the Institutional Grievance Coordinator including the following words and phrases:
- 'trans'
- 'transgender'
- 'gender dysphoria'
- 'gender affirming care'
- 'gender affirming treatment'
- 'hormones'
- 'hormone therapy'
- 'hormone treatment'
- 'sex reassignment surgery'
- 'gender reassignment surgery'
- 'phallectomy'
- 'orchiectomy'
- 'caginoplasty '
- 'breast implants'
- 'mastectomy'
- 'hysterectomy'
- 'phalloplasty'

Please provide all relevant materials for each of the following facilities:
- Boston Pre-Release Center
- Bridgewater State Hospital
- Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Correctional Unit
- Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Concord
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Framingham
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Plymouth
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Shirley
- Massachusetts Treatment Center
- North Central Correctional Institution
- Northeastern Correctional Center
- Old Colony Correctional Center
- Pondville Correctional Center
- South Middlesex Correctional Center
- Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center

Please provide materials on a rolling basis, as they become available. We request that the requested complaints please be made available to us as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to clarify via phone at 617-299-1832.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Sarika Ram

Hello Ms. Silvia,
I would like to appropriately modify my request to align with the system of categorization used by the DOC for grievances. What are the categories by which inmate grievances are tracked?

Thank you,
Sarika

Hello Ms. Silvia,
Based on the information you provided, I would like to modify my request as follows:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
-All complaints submitted to the Massachusetts DOC between January 1, 2017 and the date this request is processed in the categories listed below:

Medical Treatment/Diagnosis
Access to Care-Specialty refer
Access to Care-concerning KOP
Access to Care-concerning prescribed med
Access to Care-delay sick slip
Access to Care-dental
Quality of Care
Treatment Decisions

Please provide materials on a rolling basis, as they become available. We request that the requested complaints please be made available to us as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to clarify via phone at 610-637-7745.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Sarika Ram

Hello Ms. Silvia,
I would like to modify my request again to limit the financial burden of receiving the documents in which I am interested. My modified request asks for:
-All complaints submitted to the Massachusetts DOC between January 1, 2017 and the date this request is processed in the following categories:
-Quality of Care
-Treatment Decisions

Thank you for your time and patience.

Best,
Sarika

Hello Ms. Silvia,
Thank you for speaking with me yesterday and helping me to identify the records I am most interested in.

In addition to the ‘Quality of Care’ and ‘Treatment Decisions’ categories you've already cross-checked, would you be able to please provide me with the grievance forms (submitted by the people in your database who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria) in the following categories:
-Harassment
-Verbal Abuse
-Assaults
-Use of Force

-Classification
-Searches Strip/Pat

Again, I appreciate your time and consideration and patience in this matter.

Best,
Sarika

Hello Ms. Silvia,
Thank you for speaking with me yesterday and helping me to identify the records I am most interested in.

In addition to the ‘Quality of Care’ and ‘Treatment Decisions’ categories you've already cross-checked, would you be able to please provide me with the grievance forms (submitted by the people in your database who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria) in the following categories:
-Harassment
-Verbal Abuse
-Assaults
-Use of Force

-Classification
-Searches Strip/Pat

Again, I appreciate your time, consideration and patience in this matter.

Best,
Sarika

Hello Ms. Silvia,
Thank you for speaking with me yesterday and helping me to identify the records I am most interested in.

In addition to the ‘Quality of Care’ and ‘Treatment Decisions’ categories you've already cross-checked, would you be able to please provide me with the grievance forms (submitted by the people in your database who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria) in the following categories:
-Harassment
-Verbal Abuse
-Assaults
-Use of Force

-Classification
-Searches Strip/Pat

Again, I appreciate your time, consideration and patience in this matter.

Best,
Sarika

Hello Kate,
Thank you for providing the responsive documents.

Best,
Sarika

Hello Kate,
I am writing to reopen this request. I would like to please receive additional responsive documents since this request was closed on August 16, 2018.

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

- All grievances submitted to the Institutional Grievance Coordinator by individuals with gender dysphoria diagnoses

Please provide all relevant materials for each of the following facilities:
- Boston Pre-Release Center
- Bridgewater State Hospital
- Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Correctional Unit
- Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Concord
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Framingham
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Plymouth
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Shirley
- Massachusetts Treatment Center
- North Central Correctional Institution
- Northeastern Correctional Center
- Old Colony Correctional Center
- Pondville Correctional Center
- South Middlesex Correctional Center
- Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center

I ask that the requested complaints please be made available to us as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to clarify via phone at 610-637-7745.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Sarika Ram

Hi Kate,
Thanks so much for your prompt response and for your important work addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in MA Corrections. Yes, I am seeking records from the time of our last correspondence (8/16/2018) to the present.

Best,
Sarika