Transgender inmates in women's prisons face new government restrictions

Transgender inmates "with male genitalia" do not should no longer be held in women's prisons, the Justice Secretary has announced.

In a parliamentary statement, Brandon Lewis said he would present a new policy on the issue later this year.< /p>

“Under the reforms, transgender prisoners with male genitalia should no longer be held in female headquarters,” he added.

“It will not be not a general rule; exemptions to these new rules will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

"This will also apply to transgender women who have been convicted of a sexual offence."

Official figures show that the vast majority of trans prisoners in England and Wales are held in men's prisons, with most of the 40 in women's prisons identifying as men.

A parliamentary committee has previously found that there was a risk of violence, sexual assault, self-harm and suicide "where trans prisoners are not situated appropriately to their acquired/asserted gender".

Several trans women have committed suicide in men's prisons for the past decade.

< p>Last week, Mr Lewis told the Conservative Party conference that it was "not just for transgender women prisoners, when they are convicted of serious sexual offenses or those who have not s ubi of reassignment operation, be housed in the general prison area for women", swearing, "It will end."

The new justice secretary said that there had been sexual assaults and inappropriate relationships. on ships involving transgender inmates in recent years.

He suggested that the use of "specialist cells" could be increased to "further protect women in prison".

The statement came days after authorities figures showed police-recorded hate crimes targeting transgender people rose 56% in a year.

Galop, an anti-abuse charity LGBT+, said transphobic narratives in the media and by high-level politicians had been allowed to grow unchallenged and resulted in "violence against our community".

Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis said the government still intends to reform human rights law in line with its manifesto (Victoria Jones /PA)

(PA Wire)

Suella Braverman, the new Home Secretary, has focused on trans issues in recent weeks, wading through a Twitter row over the gender identity of a child sex offender and lashing out at "a police officer biologically male s strip search suspects."

The former attorney general has been strident in her opinions at a series of events and interviews, responding when asked what what is a woman that "a woman has two X chromosomes, a woman gives birth, a woman has no penis".

The most recent figures from the prison services show that in April 2021 , there were 197 transgender prisoners in England and Wales.

According to an official report for 2020-2021, three-quarters of trans prisoners identified as female and 80% said they were from male.

The vast majority of trans women were still held in male prisons. , with only 40 transgender inmates in women's prisons. Within this group, less than five people reported being male.

Figures include people who "present in a sex different from their sex assigned at birth", and exclude people who have already transitioned and have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

High Court judges found the current policy to be legal in 2021, after an inmate who said she was sexually assaulted by a trans inmate convicted of serious sexual offenses issued a challenge.

The Department of Justice argued...