Another victory! For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers in prisons case

Sounds simple. But few rapists are convicted. And those few often discover, only as they are handcuffed, that they are suddenly 'trans'.

JK Rowling offers to bank roll class-action lawsuit against SNP Government over 'unlawful' prison policy
JK Rowling called on the First Minister to apologise to female prisoners following the court ruling by Lady Ross

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/jk-rowling-offers-bank-roll-37324678

Just for comparison:

'There are 269 prisoners asserting a transgender identity who do not have a GRC. This is a 17% increase on the figure of 230 in 2022'

From KPSS.

https://kpssinfo.org/prisons-in-england/

'There were 339 transgender prisoners on the 31st March 2025[footnote 3]
This was an increase on the figure of 295 recorded in 2024'

The figure continues to rise.

Plus, prisoners with a GRC are treated as if they actually are the opposite sex.

The trouble is that the MoJ seem to be classifying by gender.

We can't actually tell what sex the 19% are, because they may have said they were, 'Non-binary, in a different way, or did not provide a response'.

Data based on gender identity is meaningless.

And the 81% seemed to be managing ok.

This would suggest that the remaining 19% will be managed just as well in the men's estate or in specialist units or wings as needed/preferred.

'Eighty-two of the 123 public and private prisons (67%) in England and Wales said that they had one or more transgender prisoners on 31st March 2025. Of the 339 transgender prisoners:

• Two hundred and seventy-five (81%) were in men’s establishments. The majority of these (245) self-identified as transgender women (biological sex Male, self-identifies as Female). The remainder self-identified as transgender men (biological sex Female, self-identifies as Male), Non-binary, in a different way, or did not provide a response.
• Sixty-four (19%) were in women’s establishments. The majority of these (61) self-identified as transgender men (biological sex Female, self-identifies as Male). The remainder self-identified as transgender women (biological sex Male, self-identifies as Female), Non-binary, in a different way, or did not provide a response.'

'The figures reported in this bulletin give an estimate of the number of transgender prisoners and are likely to underestimate the true number. This is because some transgender prisoners, both with and without GRCs, may not have declared that they are transgender or had a Local Case Board. Additionally, the prison population is dynamic, meaning prisoners may have entered or left prison outside the time period of the data collection.
Details of the number of transgender prisoners as of 31st March 2025 were provided by equalities representatives in public and private prisons in England and Wales.
Biological Sex and Gender Identity
There were 339 prisoners living in, or presenting in, a gender different from their biological sex and who have had a local case board. Of these, 276 (81%) reported their biological sex as Male and 63 (19%) reported as Female.
When asked about the gender with which the prisoner identified, 247 (73%) identified as Female[footnote 7], 64 (19%) as Male[footnote 8], 18 (5%) as Non-binary[footnote 9] and 10 (3%) self-identified in a different way[footnote 10], or did not provide a response.
There were nine prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate as of 31st March 2025. These prisoners are not included in the transgender prisoner totals presented in this report.
Based on data as at 31st March 2025, there were 3.9 transgender prisoners reported per 1,000 prisoners[footnote 11], an increase from 3.4 per 1,000 on 31st March 2024. The transgender prison population increased by 15% compared with less than 0.1% for the total prison population over the same period.'

'Apart from reporting on the overall count, prisoners who have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) are excluded from any further analysis within this report. This is to ensure compliance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004'

Here’s a suggestion guys. Don’t get sent to prison. Sorted.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-offender-equalities-annual-report-2024-to-2025/hmpps-offender-equalities-annual-report-2024-25--2#transgender-prisoners

As of March 2025:

There were 339 transgender prisoners on the 31st March 2025[footnote 3]
This was an increase on the figure of 295 recorded in 2024.
In addition, there were nine prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
This is down from 10 on 31st March 2024.
Most transgender prisoners reported their biological sex[footnote 4] as Male
There were 276 transgender prisoners (81%) who reported their biological sex as Male and 63 (19%) as Female.
Ten per cent of transgender prisoners were from an Ethnic Minority background
Where ethnicity was known, 10% (32) of the transgender prison population were from an Ethnic Minority background (excluding White ethnic minorities), down from 11% of the transgender population in 2024.
Most transgender prisoners were in the men’s estate
There were 275 transgender prisoners (81%) in the men’s estate and 64 (19%) were in the women’s estate.

No wonder we're kippered.

Does anyone know the current numbers of people being held in the wrong prisons in England and Wales?

I'm aware we have a huge cohort of trans identifying men in the men's estate but no idea whether we're also enabling them to get into the women's?

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-prison-service-boss-under-37324145

First we had Salmond, then Sturgeon. Now it's Pollock's turn.

If the Scottish government are genuinely unable to fulfil the very straightforward instruction - that men go in a men's prison, and women go in a women's prison -how the everloving fuck are they going to manage to run a country?

It may explain some things.

Good point.

Oh, I can bore on for years, I assure you! 😂

https://murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2026/01/26/why-does-the-scottish-prison-service-hold-men-convicted-of-murder-in-the-female-prison-estate-a-policy-timeline/

Informative timeline from MBM.

Thanks for all the info, @ArabellaScott !

This is the Reddit bit that struck me.

First, ‘but transmen in women’s prisons!’ Is meant to be one of their big gotchas & second, if TMAM & there’s no difference, why on earth would Reddit think they shouldn’t be with all the other men?

Naturally the thread goes on to talk about how much more vulnerable the TWs are.

She’s just amazing 😻

https://x.com/i/status/2068326535522582720

https://x.com/i/status/2068305356564856985

They appear to be classing people by 'social gender'.

No numbers given, so we can't see the breakdown of how many males or females, but a thin red line showing under 'trans women'.

https://www.sps.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/Public%20Information%20Page%20%28PIP%29%20Quarter%201%202025%20%281%29.pdf

'SPS defines affirmed gender as the gender in which a person lives their day-to-day life. It may differ from the gender assigned at birth, which is the gender a person was originally registered as on their birth certificate. Non-binary individuals identify themselves as having no gender or as being on a gender spectrum2 between man and woman. Gender-fluid is defined3 by “not having only one gender or moving freely between genders.”'