Woman wrongly sent to male prison because she had ‘masculine features’

An investigation has been launched after a woman with “masculine features” was sent to an all-male prison in Scotland.

The biologically female prisoner was detained overnight at HMP Perth, a maximum security jail, and she was not transferred to Cornton Vale, a women’s jail, until the next day.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service said a review of procedures has been instigated following the blunder last week.

The woman appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and was remanded in custody.

The prisoner was then processed as a man and taken to HMP Perth by a court escort crew.

The Scottish Prison Service rewrote its rules about transgender prisoners after the Isla Bryson scandal, in which a double rapist previously known as Adam Graham was initially sent to a women’s jail.

Under the updated policy, prisoners are supposed to be initially sent to a prison that corresponds with their biological sex.

‘Complete embarrassment’

“This is a complete embarrassment for everyone involved,” a source said. “Taking a female to a male prison and leaving her there is a shocker.

“An assumption was made, based on someone’s appearance and not much else. Gender in the prison system has become such a hot topic that management will be mortified by this.

“It was only when the more thorough search was carried out by prison staff that it came to light that the prisoner was missing some vital parts you might expect a man to have.

“The woman was whisked away to segregation overnight and the questions immediately started getting asked about how this could have happened.”

By the time the error came to light, it was too late to transfer the woman to the female prison near Stirling, and special measures had to be put in place to keep her in HMP Perth overnight.

‘Sloppy recording of sex’

The woman was kept in segregation, away from the male prison population, before being taken to the correct prison the next day.

The For Women Scotland campaign group said the incident showed the dangers of “sloppy recording and reporting of sex”, as opposed to a person’s gender identity.

“They have to stop being frightened of recording a person’s sex,” the group said.

“Sex should be recorded on every sheet the police give to the prison service and the prison service should also be asking for that.

“This woman has definitely been put at risk. It’s incredibly dangerous for any woman to be in a male prison.”

‘Reviewing procedure’

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “We don’t comment on individuals. The rights, safety and wellbeing of all individuals, including those newly admitted to our care, is a key priority.

“We have procedures in place to keep everyone safe when someone is newly admitted, including keeping them separate from the mainstream population where appropriate.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “On Monday, October 21, an individual was passed into the custody of the Scottish Prison Service with incomplete information about their gender.

“We are reviewing our custody procedure to ensure this does not happen again.”