Samuel Case, FISM News
Britain’s Justice Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday barred all male violent offenders claiming to be transgender from being housed in female prisons.
“Tomorrow our new transgender prisoner policy comes into force – a strengthened, common-sense framework that will improve safety for prisoners across England and Wales,” Secretary Raab tweeted on Sunday.
“As we have already promised, transgender women who have male genitalia or have committed sexual offenses will no longer be held in women’s prisons — unless in the most exceptional cases, requiring explicit ministerial approval.”
As we have already promised, transgender women who have male genitalia or have committed sexual offences will no longer be held in women’s prisons – unless in the most exceptional cases, requiring explicit Ministerial approval.
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) February 26, 2023
“And as of tomorrow, we have gone one step further — changing our guidance so that transgender women convicted of violent offenses will also no longer be held in mainstream women’s prisons.”
Raab says the policy change was not in response to the controversy surrounding Scotland’s sentencing of transgender rapist, Isla Bryson.
Bryson, a biological male, was sentenced to eight years in prison last month for sexually assaulting two women in 2016 and 2019 while going by the name Adam Graham.
According to the BBC, Bryson “was initially remanded to a women’s jail after being found guilty, but was then moved to a men’s facility.”
Bryson’s estranged wife, Shonna Graham, says her husband never showed any signs of being transgender during their time together. Ms. Graham says Bryson took her last name to “get away with his crimes.”
“You can’t do a crime as a man then want to transition once you’ve been charged with it,” she said. “That’s how you know it’s all a big joke to him.”
Following the controversy, Scotland’s Justice Secretary Keith Brown placed a pause on violent transgender prisoners being housed in female prisons.
Secretary Raab says England’s rule change has been in the works for months but had taken time to ensure it was implemented “very carefully and assiduously.”