The Scottish government has taken steps to ensure the safety of women in its prison system. The country’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced last Thursday that a transgender woman convicted of rape would be transferred out of an all-female prison in response to concerns over the safety of other inmates. This announcement was followed by a statement from the government on Sunday, in which it pledged that no newly convicted transgender prisoner with a history of violence against women would be placed in a female prison, and that no transgender person already in custody would be moved from a male to a female prison.
Scottish Justice Minister Keith Brown emphasized that “predatory men are the risk to women” and that a small number of transgender women may offend and end up in prison, but the measures being put in place will ensure the safety of all prisoners. The Scottish Prison Service is currently reviewing its policies, though these have not been changed by the passage of Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill. The bill, which supports a self-identification process for changing gender and a lower minimum age, has been blocked by the British government from coming into effect.