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Bill would align Washington jail search rules with PREA and allow gender-identity–based options for searches
Summary
House Bill 1604 would require local jails to adopt policies for strip-searches of transgender and intersex people that comply with federal PREA standards and recognize detainees’ gender identity as a factor in who conducts searches.
The committee heard House Bill 1604, sponsored by Representative Osman Saladin, which would require local jail administrators to develop and implement policies for strip searches of transgender and intersex individuals that comply with PREA and state law and to adopt those policies by Sept. 1, 2025.
Staff described the bill’s core elements: searches may be conducted by a medical professional, by female staff, in accordance with a person's stated gender identity, or after asking the detained person which staff gender they would feel most comfortable with. The bill prohibits searches conducted solely to determine genital status and requires that detainees be able to shower, perform bodily…
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