Fighting on for Women in Prison

Aim

Keep Prisons Single Sex is the only campaign whose sole focus is women in prison. We now have clearest indication that we make a difference.

We now have the clearest possible indication that Keep Prisons Single Sex is making a difference.

We are being heard. YOU are being heard.

At Tory Conference this past week, Brandon Lewis the Secretary of State for Justice gave a speech where he outlined new policy for housing trans prisoners. This directly reflects the Prisons Amendments proposed by Lord Blencathra in the House of Lords at the end of last year: no male sexual offenders in women’s prisons; use of separate & specialist prison accommodation.

https://www.conservatives.com/news/2022/our-plan-for-the-justice-system-and-those-who-work-in-it

What we do works so we must keep up the pressure. To do that, we need your help. This all takes money, but this is clearly money well spent. Our campaign works.

Keep Prisons Single Sex is the only organisation whose sole focus is women in prison & the criminal justice system. None of us take a salary. Every penny goes on campaigning. 

We also focus on safeguarding & risk assessment. Our recent report on DBS checks reveals significant failures in child safeguarding. The DBS creates safeguarding loopholes by hiding identities and hiding sex. The DBS process is not fit for purpose. Any predator can choose to use these loopholes to gain access to children. But no one will even acknowledge this.

We need your help to fight this.

We are the only organisation dedicated to Keeping Prisons Single Sex. Recent reports show that the situation is worse than we thought:

• In August it was reported that a male with intact genitalia serving a lengthy sentence for murder was in the female estate. He was terrorising women and had had ‘sexual contact’ with a vulnerable young offender. That prisoner remains in the female estate.
  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11088219/Trans-prisoners-barred-womens-jails-strict-new-policy-proposed-Dominic-Raab.html
• In September it was reported that a male convicted of multiple serious sexual offences against children had self-identified into a women’s prison. Despite having an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a vulnerable woman with learning difficulties, that prisoner is still in the female estate.
  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11268259/Transgender-paedophile-moved-prison-wings-starting-relationship-female-inmate.html
• The number of males with no GRC held in the female estate has increased

Women in prison are not safe. Staff say this. Women in prison say this. No policy that allows ‘some’ male prisoners to be held with women can keep women safe. We need your help to fight this.

We are the only organisations dedicated to ensuring that searching of prisoners & detainees is only ever same-sex. The situation is worse than we thought:

• At the end of last year the National Police Chiefs Council passed a policy allowing opposite sex strip searching where an officer identifies as transgender. Detainees who object could be charged with a hate crime. Individual police forces have now passed this policy.
• The MoJ is also considering allowing male officers who identify as transgender to strip search women.

Searching must only ever take place on a same-sex basis: an officer’s gender identity is irrelevant. Opposite-sex searching under threat of a hate crime is sexual assault. We need your help to fight this.

We are the only organisation dedicated to ensuring that all male offenders are recorded in the data as male. The situation is worse than we thought:

• Our research shows that the majority of police forces will record a male suspect as female on the basis of either self-declared gender identity or legal gender. Including in the case of rape.
• Some forces record a ‘non-binary’ suspect’s sex as ‘indeterminate’ or ‘unspecified’
• Just last month a police force threatened women who correctly identified the sex of a paedophile with hate crime.

Sex registered at birth is the most significant variable to offending and risk. Any policy that allows ‘some’ male offenders to be recorded as female is unacceptable. We need your help to fight this.

Whether it’s Amendments in the House of Lords, giving evidence to Scottish Parliament, ongoing discussions with Ministry of Justice and Scottish Prison Service, or producing much needed in-depth research and reports, your support will help us to fight on. Our voice is being heard.

Thank you for whatever you are able to give.

This project successfully funded on 3rd November 2022