WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) announced the release of Richard Valdemar’s story – a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff Detective Sergeant – in the seventh episode of its exclusive docu-series, Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons. In this episode, Sgt Valdemar, now joining a handful of whistleblowers from the prison system, speaks out despite social pressure about males self-identifying into California women’s prisons, sacrificing the safety and well-being of incarcerated women.
While many of his colleagues feel pressured into silence out of fear of losing their employment, Sgt Valdemar felt he had to speak up as the law enforcement institution he joined five decades ago with the hopes of helping others is now transforming at the expense of women’s safety and security. California’s SB-132 now allows male inmates who self-identify as women to be housed with women, which Sgt Valdemar described as, “placing the wolf in the den or in the pen with the lambs.” He said, “If this doesn’t constitute bigotry, I don’t know what does.”
Since retiring from the sheriff’s department and now working in Arizona’s federal court system, Sgt Valdemar isn’t witnessing the harm from SB-132 firsthand. However, his peers and former colleagues on staff in prisons across the country confide in him their concerns as they witness men take advantage of the law. In IWF’s documentary, Sgt Valdemar says, in part:
“In an attempt to integrate the yards, which is what they call it, California and other prison systems have begun putting people that formerly were held apart for their own safety or for the safety of others, [and] have dumped them into the yards.”
“We might as well be a third-world country if we can’t protect the prisoners.”
Click HERE to watch Richard Valdemar’s story.
Amie Ichikawa, IWF ambassador and former inmate at Central California Women’s Facility said, “Sgt Valdemar is a living legend in law enforcement. His distinguished career spans multiple law enforcement agencies and he has continued to lend his expertise after retirement. I was honored by his willingness to help with Cruel & Unusual Punishment. His participation has provided a layer of professional validation to what we have shared concerning this crisis and spending time with him was an unforgettable experience for all of us.”
IWF’s Storytelling Manager and co-producer of the series, Andrea Mew, said, “As Sgt Valdemar explained, many law enforcement professionals feel apprehensive about exposing overlooked consequences of housing male inmates with females. But his own willingness to speak out, despite potential backlash, underscores a deep commitment to justice and the protection of vulnerable populations. His insights on transgender policies aren’t only informed by theory but by a lifetime of practical experience with boots on the ground.”
BACKGROUND:
As more states allow men who identify as women into women’s prisons, few are aware of the harmful fallout. Women with histories of trauma and domestic abuse are forced to share their most private and intimate spaces with intact males—many of whom are violent, sexual predators serving time for heinous crimes.
Allowing male offenders to reside in women’s prisons is dangerous and unfair. Put simply, it’s cruel and unusual punishment. These stories stand as a testament to why biological sex matters, especially in institutional settings. Incarcerated women need and deserve female-only spaces. Anything less is a violation of their most basic human rights.
The eradication of single-sex prisons is harming female inmates.
In this documentary mini-series, IWF brings voices to light who detail the untold, gruesome story about what’s been happening to female inmates behind closed doors. As more and more prison systems allow males to declare themselves “women” and opt to be housed in facilities meant for females, the voices of those most affected deserve to be heard.
Watch the Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons trailer HERE. Each episode of this ongoing short documentary series produced by IWF, varying from 5 to 10 minutes in length, will be released individually over the coming weeks, with episodes available to the public for free on YouTube.
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