Keep Prisons Single Sex
Women in prison are some of the most vulnerable in society and the Equality Act should work to protect them while inside. Why doesn't it?
We hope you can join us for our next zoom event on Monday 17 January at 7pm, when we are lucky to be hosting the brilliant Dr Kate Coleman, feminist campaigner and founder of Keep Prisons Single Sex.
Please register here.
It is rare for a woman to end up in prison, and they make up a mere 5% of the prison population. Very many of those that do, report a history of abuse and sexual violence, often since childhood and almost always at the hands of men. Mental health problems among female prisoners are common and rates of self-harm are high - women account for 20% of cases within prisons even though they represent 1/20th of prisoners. You would be forgiven for assuming the prison system would automatically keep prisons single sex, thereby protecting this vulnerable population from further male violence.
Confusion over sex vs gender is rife in our institutions and this is of particular concern within the prison sector. In spite of the Equality Act (2010) and the Gender Recognition Act (2004) which both contain provisions to treat individuals according to their birth sex, upholding the need for single sex exemptions, a number of male offenders are held in women's prisons across the UK. There is a presumption by the Prison Service that a male-born person with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) should be held in the female estate, regardless of his anatomy or the nature of his offences. Although risk assessment is carried out, a male with a GRC is assessed against the risk-assessment standards in place for female offenders, only a tiny number of whom have a record of violence. More than half of male-born prisoners who claim to be transgender have a history of violence against women.
Only males who self-identify as women but do not have a GRC are risk-assessed as males before being placed in women’s prisons. At least they are supposed to be (see the case of Karen White). Join us for an evening Dr Kate Coleman of Keep Prisons Single Sex who will bring clarity to the confusion and an update on the relevant parts of the campaign. Dr Coleman has been a feminist campaigner for many years, and set up Keep Prisons Single Sex in 2020.