Fairly in-depth
It is “highly, highly unlikely” that a trans woman with a history of violence against women will be sent to a female prison, MSPs have been told.
Never mind the highly highly; just don’t do it. Ever.
Teresa Medhurst, the head of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), said such a move would only happen in “exceptional circumstances”, after a “fairly in-depth analysis of the individual’s life history.”
Oh well if it’s fairly in-depth that makes it fine.
The SPS boss was being grilled by MSPs over the service’s new Policy for the Management of Transgender People in Custody, published at the end of last year. It was developed following the row over trans rapist, Isla Bryson, who first appeared in court as Adam Graham.
Following conviction, the SPS made the decision to divert Bryson to Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison, rather than the planned destination of HMP Barlinnie, sparking outrage.
Yeah no shit. Endangering a bunch of women for the sake of the feelings of one violent man – what the hell is wrong with you?
The new policy is due to come into force in February 2024. It initially states that a transgender woman “will not be eligible to be considered for admission or transfer to a women’s prison” if they have been convicted for a raft of crimes, including murder, assault, robbery, abduction, rape, and sexual harassment.
However, it then goes on to say that there is an exception to this rule if the SPS’s Risk Management Team, and subsequently an executive panel, “are satisfied there is compelling evidence that they do not present an unacceptable risk of harm to those in the women’s prison.“
What would such “compelling evidence” look like? And why does it have to be compelling? Why are there all these barriers in place to prevent men from being sent to men’s prisons? Why is so much energy being devoted to forcing helpless women into the presence of men 24/7?
Why do I have zero confidence in their definition of what constitutes an “unacceptable risk”? The only acceptable rule is to not have male prisoners in women’s prisons. Humans can’t change sex. If these administrators can’t tell a man from a woman, then they should not be holding this position. Protestations that it’s “complicated” and “it depends” are simply admissions of both incompetence and misogyny. There is no need for “including” males in women’s prisons. Men’s prisons already have sections for isolation and or protection from the general prison population. Male prisoners who claim to be women can be placed there; they are still men and always will be. As with sports authorities, these prison administrators are looking for opportunities to put men into women’s facilities. For some reason it has been their reflexive, default position. It’s taken loud complaints and much resistance to push them even slightly away from it, and even then the movement has been grudging and reluctant. The mere existence of this “exception” will lead one of these idiots to diligently seek out as many opportunities as they can to use it, in order to demonstrate their “progressiveness.” At the expense of women, naturally.
I want to see the criteria these fools are allegedly using to say that they can know which man will act out sexually or violently and which man won’t when put in a prison full of women who are generally smaller and weaker than these men. If they possess such great wisdom and knowledge of predictive behavior, why have they not published their research or shown that they are able to pick out the wrong-uns from the not-as-wrong-uns? Wouldn’t all of society benefit from that knowledge?
No men in women’s spaces, it is the only way to be safe for women.
Even if they were able to predict with 100% accuracy that someone would not attack or abuse women in prison, what about the psychological harm to the women being forced to live with a known predator.
“Trust us, he will not harm you” will of course make them all feel totally safe and sleep well.
Why is psychological harm still not considered important in our society?
“what the hell is wrong with you?” — A question of broad application, methinks.