Male prisoners in Scotland who claim to be female should live in women’s jails to prepare them for their release, according to new guidance. In an equality assessment report, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) outlined guidance on its policy to allow men to be housed in women’s prisons unless they have a record of “violence against a female” from next month. Prison officersUnder the new guidance, female prison officers will no longer have to search a man who identifies as a woman if a prison governor deems it to be “necessary and proportionate”. But from February, male prison officers will be allowed to undertake the task in certain circumstances. Last year, SPS ordered a policy assessment following an outcry when convicted rapist Adam Graham was initially placed in a segregated unit in a women’s prison.

Source: The Times January 02, 2024 11:33 UTC