Kansas transgender inmate transferred to all-female prison

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A transgender inmate has been transferred from a Kansas men’s prison to the state’s women’s prison in Topeka.

13 NEWS investigated a question from a view about an El Dorado Correctional Facility inmate being moved to Topeka Correctional Facility, the state’s all-female institution.

The inmate was previously known as Thomas Lamb. Lamb was convicted for kidnapping and killing a young woman in 1969, and kidnapping a second young woman in 1970. Court records indicate he legally changed his name to Michelle Lamb in 2007.

In 2017, a U.S. District Court ruled against Lamb in a lawsuit asking the state to transfer her to an all-female facility, and allow her to pursue gender re-assignment surgery. An Appeals Court upheld the ruling in 2018, stating that, although it was not the treatment Lamb might want, evidence showed she was being provided treatment for gender dysphoria, and the state was not showing “deliberate indifference” to her situation.

However, Kansas Dept. of Corrections records show she was transferred Jan. 27 to Topeka Correctional Facility.

While it is not known if Lamb will now be allowed to go forward with the gender reassignment surgery, 13 NEWS asked KDOC public affairs director Randall Bowman whether the state would pay for the procedure if she did.

Bowman would not comment on Lamb’s case specifically.

“Healthcare decisions are not made by KDOC officials,” Bowman said. “Due to patient privacy concerns, KDOC and the Governor’s Office cannot comment on the specifics of medical care for any one individual.”

Bowman said the state contracts with a company called Centurion for health care services to correctional facilities. He said KDOC does not make health care decisions.

Bowman said, under the state’s contract with Centurion, no single procedure would impact the state’s overall rate, and therefore would not be passed directly to taxpayers.

Copyright 2023 WIBW. All rights reserved.