A woman was allegedly wrongly sent to an all-male prison and forced to stay there overnight because she had ‘masculine features’.
The female prisoner was sent to high-security prison HMP Perth overnight on October 21 and was only transferred to Cornton Vale, the only women’s jail in Scotland, the next day, according to the Telegraph.
A review of procedures has since been launched by Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.
The woman was remanded after appearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, where she was processed as a man, after which the court escrow crew took her to HMP Perth.
This comes after the Scottish Prison Service changed its rules regarding transgender prisoners following the Isla Bryson scandal, which saw a rapist previously named Adam Graham initially being sent to a women’s jail.
The female prisoner was sent to high-security prison HMP Perth (pictured) overnight on October 21 and was only transferred to Cornton Vale, the only women’s jail in Scotland, the next day, according to the Telegraph
By the time the error was discovered, it was reportedly too late to transport her to Cornton Vale (pictured), so the female prisoner was swiftly taken to segregation overnight.
Prisoners are supposed to be sent to a prison corresponding to their biological gender initially, according to the new police – but this did not happen with the woman who was sent to HMP Perth, who is biologically female.
‘This is a complete embarrassment for everyone involved,’ a source told the Telegraph.
‘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.
The source added that the woman’s biological gender only came to light when a more thorough search was carried out by prison staff.
By the time the error was discovered, it was reportedly too late to transport her to Cornton Vale, so the female prisoner was swiftly taken to segregation at HMP Perth overnight.
For Women Scotland, a campaign group, said the incident was highlighting the ‘sloppy recording and reporting of sex’ versus the person’s gender identity.
The group added that the female prisoner sent to HMP Perth ‘has definitely been put at risk’.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that an individual was remanded ‘with incomplete information about their gender’, adding that the force was reviewing its custody procedure following the incident.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service said that they had procedures to keep every prisoner safe when a new one is admitted, which includes separating the new arrival from the mainstream prison population ‘where appropriate’.
