Britain will open Europe’s first transgender prison

Britain will open Europe’s first transgender prison wing this week, after sexual assaults at women’s jails by male inmates who ‘identified’ as female and are incarcerated with women.

 The wing, within a women's prison in south London, will initially cater for three offenders who were born male but have since changed gender.

 Officials say the three prisoners, who have Gender Recognition Certificates, will not have access to the other women at HMP Downview, in Sutton.

 The Gender Recognition Act 2004 enables transsexual people to apply to receive a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). A Gender Recognition Certificate is the document issued that shows that a person has satisfied the criteria for legal recognition in the acquired gender.

  The chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said vulnerable women were being put at risk by a small number of violent men whose primary interest was harming women.

  During a recent prison visit a governor told her of five prisoners who were identifying as women and had asked for transfer. All had a history of sexual violence against women and had had their requests turned down. 

 “In my view, any man who has committed a serious sexual or violent offense against women, still has a penis and still has male hormones, should not be put into a women’s prison. There is a case for having separate provision; that is a debate to be had.”