A woman was allegedly wrongly sent to an all-male prison and forced to stay there overnight because she had ‘male characteristics’.
The female inmate was sent to HMP Perth maximum security prison overnight on October 21 and was only transferred the next day to Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison, according to the Telegraph.
A review of procedures has since been launched by Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.
The woman was remanded in custody after appearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court where she was treated as a man before the escrow team took her to HMP Perth.
This comes after the Scottish Prison Service changed its rules regarding transgender prisoners following the Isla Bryson scandal, which saw a rapist previously named Adam Graham initially sent to a women’s prison.
The female prisoner was sent to HMP Perth high security prison (pictured) overnight on October 21 and was only transferred to Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison, the following day, according to the Telegraph.
By the time the mistake was discovered, it was reportedly too late to transport her to Cornton Vale (pictured), so the female prisoner was quickly moved to segregation overnight.
Under the new police force, prisoners would initially be sent to a prison corresponding to their biological sex – but this did not happen to the woman sent to HMP Perth, who is biologically female.
“This is a complete shame for everyone involved,” a source told the Telegraph.
“Taking a woman to a men’s prison and leaving her there is a shock. An assumption was made based on a person’s appearance and not much else.
The source added that the woman’s biological sex only came to light when a more thorough investigation was conducted by prison staff.
By the time the mistake was discovered, it was reportedly too late to transport her to Cornton Vale, so the female prisoner was quickly taken to the segregation at HMP Perth overnight.
For Women Scotland, a campaign group, said the incident highlighted the “sloppy recording and reporting of sex” versus the person’s gender identity.
The group added that the female prisoner sent to HMP Perth was “certainly put at risk”.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland confirmed that a person had been remanded ‘with incomplete information about their gender’, adding that police were reviewing the custody procedure following the incident.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service said they have procedures in place to keep each prisoner safe when a new one is admitted, including separating the newcomer from the regular prison population ‘where necessary’.
