diff --git a/builtin/logical/transit/policy_crud.go b/builtin/logical/transit/policy_crud.go
index 0a6b817b4..46472de96 100644
--- a/builtin/logical/transit/policy_crud.go
+++ b/builtin/logical/transit/policy_crud.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ type policyCRUD interface {
 }
 
 // The mutex is kept separate from the struct since we may set it to its own
-// mutex (if the object is shared) or a shared mutext (if the object isn't
+// mutex (if the object is shared) or a shared mutex (if the object isn't
 // shared and only the locking is)
 type mutexLockingPolicy struct {
 	mutex  *sync.RWMutex
diff --git a/builtin/logical/transit/simple_crud.go b/builtin/logical/transit/simple_crud.go
index 8680a0cbe..6538c7eea 100644
--- a/builtin/logical/transit/simple_crud.go
+++ b/builtin/logical/transit/simple_crud.go
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ import (
 // backend from multiple operators
 type simplePolicyCRUD struct {
 	sync.RWMutex
-	locks         map[string]*sync.RWMutex
-	locksMapMutex sync.RWMutex
+	locks map[string]*sync.RWMutex
 }
 
 func newSimplePolicyCRUD() *simplePolicyCRUD {
@@ -21,21 +20,14 @@ func newSimplePolicyCRUD() *simplePolicyCRUD {
 	}
 }
 
+// The write lock must be held before calling this; for this CRUD type this
+// should always be the case, since the only method not requiring a write lock
+// when called is getPolicy, and that itself grabs a write lock before calling
+// refreshPolicy
 func (p *simplePolicyCRUD) ensureLockExists(name string) {
-	p.locksMapMutex.RLock()
-
 	if p.locks[name] == nil {
-		p.locksMapMutex.RUnlock()
-		p.locksMapMutex.Lock()
-		// Make sure nothing has appeared since we switched the lock type
-		if p.locks[name] == nil {
-			p.locks[name] = &sync.RWMutex{}
-		}
-		p.locksMapMutex.Unlock()
-		return
+		p.locks[name] = &sync.RWMutex{}
 	}
-
-	p.locksMapMutex.RUnlock()
 }
 
 // See general comments on the interface method