Retired prison governor on transwomen in women's prisons

[ArabellaScott]

Rhona Hotchkiss writing in Centre for Crime and Justice Studies - 'we need open discussion'.

'As the governor in charge of women’s prisons in Scotland, I became increasingly dismayed at the rising numbers of transwomen in the estate and incidents related to their behaviour and this relative disregard for the impact on women’s mental and physical well-being.

There were numerous incidents over the course of a few years of inappropriate sexualised and aggressive behaviour and threats towards women by transwomen, and I have been told of others by concerned colleagues, prisoners and ex-prisoners. These incidents often caused real distress, and in women with serious mental health issues, outright confusion'

www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/we-need-open-discussion-welfare-women-prison?fbclid=IwAR3jinUDqlSkA3NlnNddaSQ_YfwMfYsggIDnHaSK7x6hHzxWEFbHNvvxRgw

Why is this not being picked up by the mainstream media! A cloud of secrecy, it's actually despicable.

But no surprises. How and why was this ever allowed to happen? Live the life you wish, present how you want, but men are not women and women are not men. We are all valid and valuable but human beings can't ever change sex. Just celebrate being trans if that's your thing, but don't expect to be treated at the sex you are not.

I'm fed up and cross with this. I'm unlikely ever to be imprisoned but I support the right to safety and dignity of every woman who is.

How can there be numerous examples of things that never happen?

@ClaireP20

Why is this not being picked up by the mainstream media! A cloud of secrecy, it's actually despicable.

Yes, completely agree. Rhona Hotchkiss should be listened to.

Well now, there's a question titchy.

Well done Rhona. Thanks for speaking out.

Brilliant article. Thanks for sharing it.

Rhona is wonderfully measured, insightful and informed. This was only put up yesterday, maybe it will be picked up by other press.

I’d be more than happy to donate to a crowdfunder to enable any female prisoner (or prison officer in the female estate) who has been harmed by these policies to take legal action.

It’s clear that the courts are the only way to resolve these issues.

Good to see figures.

If worst-case HMCIP estimates are correct, there could be up to 1600 prisoners who are transwomen in the female estate, with over 600 of those being sex offenders, compared to around 30 female sex offenders now. Sex offender programmes designed for women, flawed as they are, would have to be completely redesigned to take the causation, pattern and volume of ‘male’ offending into account.

I’d be more than happy to donate to a crowdfunder to enable any female prisoner (or prison officer in the female estate) who has been harmed by these policies to take legal action.

Good idea. I would too.

@PlantMam - I posted on another thread that I would also donate to fund this and provide free hours of legal research if required.

One thing that stood out was that most of these men want to transition after they are incarcerated. Why is this not a red flag?
Very happy to donate to fund a natal woman who has been harmed by these policies to take legal action.

Hang on, there are an estimated 600 male bodied sex offenders in the women's jail's in Scotland?

I only know of 2 trans prisoners, both in Edinburgh - Tiffany Scott and Paris Green. Tiffany is in the male estate and referred to in the press as "scotland's most dangerous prisoner", Tiffany is violent and dangerous but has not murdered anyone - unlike Paris, who was part of a group which tortured and killed Robert Shankland and was jailed in the women's, until Paris kept being caught having sex with fellow inmates. Paris has moved back to the women's jail now. I assume the women who had sex with the tall, strong and murderous Paris were enthusiastic about it.

I don't think either of these transwomen are sex offenders.

I am so angry about this. Women in jail are vulnerable, they are almost universally people who have had really difficult lives. The very least we can do for them is keep them away from dangerous male people.

Inappropriate sexualised and aggressive behaviour and threats are not going to be confined to prisons they are just more easily observed there. When these transwomen are released this isn't going to suddenly stop.

While we rightly should be considered about women prisoners who are vulnerable, this potentially affects all of us and needs to be picked up. I guess Amnesty will have nothing to say in this issue because they don't want to hear it.

I remember reading this piece by a trans woman, India Willoughby, who visited a prison. Even she seemed to think that some of the trans prisoners were gaslighting her.

Two of the five self-identified trans women have attended. Neither looks, behaves or sounds female, even though women’s T-shirts and trousers are available for them to wear.

...Before I leave Stafford, the guard takes me to meet Chelsea, the middle-aged, pony-tailed self-IDer I had been introduced to earlier. I ask whether she wants to undergo medical transition. She says no, she’s happy as she is. Chelsea is married with a wife and children.

“Don’t you want to dress or look like a woman?” I ask. “No,” replies Chelsea. “It’s not worth the hassle. I’m happy in men’s clothes. I’m not interested in passing as a woman.”

vivarium, I am presuming these are UK figures?

@MindTheMinotaur

Inappropriate sexualised and aggressive behaviour and threats are not going to be confined to prisons they are just more easily observed there. When these transwomen are released this isn't going to suddenly stop.

While we rightly should be considered about women prisoners who are vulnerable, this potentially affects all of us and needs to be picked up. I guess Amnesty will have nothing to say in this issue because they don't want to hear it.

I agree @MindTheMinotaur, however, I think we need to be much smarter at this and go for the lower hanging fruit as the TRAs have done. Therefore, it will be much, much easier to get public support for no non natal women in women's prison and no non natal men in men's prison (BTW, has a Transman ever asked to be put in a male prison???) than to get support for separate toilets, which while we all know is a huge issue and tip of the iceberg, it is easier for them to turn it around.

There is no way they get to be the "most oppressed ever" against women who are in prison.

God, no, you're right. Extrapolated, I presume.

7,000 odd male prisoners in Scotland.

www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Information/SPSPopulation.aspx

Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that male-bodied prisoners should not be held in women's prisons. It's depressing that a prison governor even has to say this.

I would be very happy to contribute to a crowdfunder on this issue.

Yes, Arabella, I assumed it was UK too. I'm really shocked.

There is state sanctioned rape going on in our jails, isn't there? We were all horrified and aghast by Karen White, but, actually, there must be a bunch of KWs in our prisons.

Who on earth would allow this? Rona Hotchkiss is very brave to speak up.

A bit confused. Isn’t Stafford a prison for male sex offenders? Is it that they want to transfer out?

CCJS are running a series of articles on this. Here was last week's

[https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/opaque-and-overdue-scottish-prison-service-trans-prisoner-policy-review]

Our's will be published shortly.

Thanks KeepPrisonsSingleSex that's really useful!

www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/opaque-and-overdue-scottish-prison-service-trans-prisoner-policy-review

sorry...!