Ban on trans women in female prisons extended - Raab

Rules banning immoderate transgender women from pistillate prisons successful England and Wales travel into unit connected Monday, the justness caput has said.

First announced by Dominic Raab successful October, the prohibition volition use to trans women with antheral genitalia, arsenic good arsenic those who are intersexual offenders.

Mr Raab has present said it volition beryllium extended to see trans women convicted of convulsive offences.

He said the measures would "improve safety" for prisoners.

Under existing argumentation already successful England and Wales, transgender women prisoners are lone placed successful a women's property aft a hazard appraisal by a analyzable lawsuit board.

The caller rules volition use whether oregon not offenders person a Gender Recognition Certificate.

Exemptions volition lone beryllium made successful the "most exceptional" cases and with the support of ministers, the authorities said. They volition beryllium considered for inmates presently successful the women's property who are assessed arsenic low-risk.

Transgender women who cannot beryllium safely accommodated successful a men's situation tin beryllium imprisoned successful a specializer unit, the authorities added.

The LGBTQ+ foundation Stonewall said it was captious that the situation work individually assessed each prisoners and carried retired elaborate hazard assessments.

A spokesperson said: "Trans prisoners are a susceptible population, and determination is nary grounds to suggest that the automatic placing of trans women successful enactment with their enactment assigned astatine commencement is safer than an individualised hazard assessment."

The crushed the argumentation is coming into unit connected Monday, contempt having been announced 4 months ago, is due to the fact that it has taken "time to bash it precise cautiously and assiduously", Mr Raab told Sky News connected Sunday.

It comes aft the lawsuit of Isla Bryson successful Scotland - a trans pistillate who was recovered blameworthy of 2 counts of rape earlier she had changed gender.

Bryson, 31, was convicted successful January and was taken to Cornton Vale, a pistillate facility, wherever she was held successful segregation portion awaiting sentencing.

Following outcry from politicians and the public, she was moved to a antheral situation wrong days. But Mr Raab said the rules were not a absorption to Bryson's case.

He said the authorities wanted to person a "liberal, sensitive, tolerant approach" to the LGBT community, who helium said "suffer a batch successful this country" with intelligence wellness issues.

"We volition present caller rules which mean that immoderate trans offender with their antheral genitalia intact, oregon who person been convicted of a intersexual offence and, adding to that, if they person been convicted of a convulsive offence, they volition not beryllium allowed into the pistillate situation estate," helium said.

In the twelvemonth ending March 2022, determination were 230 transgender prisoners retired of astir 80,000 prisoners successful England and Wales, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

Of these, 187 reported their ineligible sex arsenic antheral and 43 arsenic female.

There were six transgender women successful pistillate estates.