A unit for transgender inmates will soon be opened at a British women's jail but prisoners housed in it will be segregated from others serving time, the UK Ministry of Justice says.
Key points:
- The wing will be part of a prison facility that has the capacity to house up to 355 inmates
- Reviews into guidelines for transgender prisoners in the UK are continuing
- It is estimated there are about 140 transgender people in jail in Scotland, England and Wales
Three prisoners who were born male but have changed gender will be sent to the new wing in south London's HMP Downview, which is due to begin taking in people this week.
They will not have access to other female inmates.
The UK's first transgender unit is part of the Ministry of Justice's efforts to manage prisoner safety, which it said was its "biggest concern".
The UK's first transgender unit will be opened at HMP Downview in south London.
The move follows government reviews and the prosecution of a transgender woman who sexually assaulted two inmates while housed in a female prison in West Yorkshirein 2017.
Karen White was described as a predator and a danger to women while being sentenced to life at Leeds Crown Court last October, which heard she had used her "transgender persona" to find vulnerable woman.