Scots prison staff sent woman to all-male nick after mistakenly identifying her as man

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

Prison escort staff wrongly identified a female suspect as a man and sent her to an all-male maximum security prison, the Sunday Mail can reveal. An investigation has been launched after it emerged the biological woman prisoner was taken to Perth Prison and only transferred to Cornton Vale the next day.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service have confirmed that the mistake took place last week and that an urgent review of procedures has been instigated.

Campaign group For Women Scotland said: “This incident just shows the impact of the sloppy recording and reporting of sex. They have to stop being frightened of recording a person’s sex.”

“It’s this idea based on people’s appearance and how they chose to dress and express themselves that is an indication of gender rather than an accurate recording of sex.

“Sex should be recorded on every sheet the police give to the prison service and the prison service should also be asking for that. This woman has definitely been put at risk, it’s incredibly dangerous for any woman to be in a male prison.”

The woman appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Monday and was remanded in custody by a sheriff. The prisoner was then processed as a man - based on her appearance - and taken to Perth Prison by a court escort crew.

After the crew handed the prisoner over, a further more detailed search was carried out and red-faced staff realised they had been given a female prisoner by mistake. The woman was kept in segregation, away from the male prison population, before being taken to the correct prison on Tuesday.

“The woman was whisked away to segregation overnight and the questions immediately started getting asked about how this could have happened. What chance have you got when the police and prison escort staff can’t tell male from female?”

The Scottish Government faced ridicule last week after they defined 24 different genders which could be recorded by public bodies collecting information about members of the public.

Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.

You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.

All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!

If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on individuals. The rights, safety, and wellbeing of all individuals, including those newly admitted to our care, is a key priority.

“We have procedures in place to keep everyone safe when someone is newly admitted including keeping them separate from the mainstream population where appropriate.”

Police Scotland said: “On Monday 21 October, an individual was passed into the custody of the Scottish Prison Service with incomplete information about their gender. We are reviewing our custody procedure to ensure this does not happen again.”

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.