For those who can't sign in:
Interviewer:
I spoke to Richard Garside, Director of an independent charity [ Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies]:
He believes trans people who have commited violent offences against women should not be able to transfer to women's prisons if they've not legally changed their gender.
RG:
Well the first thing to say is precisely that Karen White is a male who is convicted of a number of serious sexual assaults against women and in that context I'm not sure how helpful it is to describe Karen White as a 'she' and how he ended up in a women's prison is that he put in an application claiming that he identified as a woman and in some circumstances male prisoners can get a transfer to women's prison in those circumstances.
Interviewer:
The MOJ says there is a transgender board, there were mistakes in this case and they apologise for that, do you think there's enough in place with the board or does the government need to do more to change the rules on transgender prisoners.
RG
In my view the problem is with the policy, not the implementation. We have very clear rules in this country, indeed internationally, that females should be separate from males in prison.
The current rule is clearly a breach of that and clearly the whole thing needs to be looked at.
Interviewer
There has been cases of transgender women who've taken their own lives because they feel felt they've been put in the wrong prison
RG:
Those transgender women who took their own lives were let down by the prison service, it's a perfectly reasonable expectation that somebody whether they identify as female or male should be safely looked after in prison and shouldn't be a situation where theytake their own lives.
Interviewer
Are you saying they should be put in a male prison or should they have bee in a separate area in the female prison and then is it side wing. if you like. segregation by putting them in side wing
RG:
My view is that those male prisoners who identify as women, the prison services should look quite seriousy at separate provision for them. They're not women, but they're also identifing as women and it's important that they're needs are taken care of but that shouldn't be at the expense of female prisoners.