Transgender prisoners who are ‘at risk’ to fellow inmates and trans women with male genitalia are banned from women’s prisons in England and Wales
- It follows growing concerns about the risks posed by transgender prisoners
- In the year to last March there were 230 trans prisoners in England and Wales
Transgender prisoners who pose a risk to other prisoners will be banned from women’s prisons in England and Wales from tomorrow.
The measure applies to transgender women who have committed violent or sexual offenses and transgender women with male genitalia.
It follows growing concerns about the risks of transgender prisoners and comes after the Scottish First Minister Nicholas Steur was involved in a feud over transgender double rapist Isla Brysonwho was sent to a women-only prison until a public outcry forced a reversal.
Minister of justice Dominic Raab said the measure would apply regardless of whether prisoners have a sex certificate of recognition, with exemptions only in the most exceptional cases to be signed by ministers.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was embroiled in a row over transgender double rapist Isla Bryson (pictured), who was sent to a women-only prison until a public outcry forced a U-turn
Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the measure would apply whether or not prisoners have a gender recognition certificate
He added: “Safety must come first in our prisons.”
Justice Department figures show there were 230 transgender prisoners in England and Wales in the year to last March, of whom 187 were of the legal sex male and 43 female.
Of the total, 181 were in men’s prisons and 49 in women’s prisons. There were six transgender women in women’s prisons.
A Justice Department source said: “Our current approach is that transgender women can only be detained in the women’s estates if a risk assessment shows it is safe to detain them there, while in Scotland it is assumed they will be detained according to the rules of the Ministry of Justice. self-declared gender identity, unless there are concerns about risk.
“We are now going further to ensure that trans women who retain male genitals or who have been convicted of sexual or violent crimes cannot be held in women’s estates unless there is an explicit decision by the ministers.”