The campaign group “For Women Scotland” has launched a legal challenge against the Scottish government’s policy of housing some transgender inmates in female prisons based on individual risk assessments. The group argues that the policy undermines the safety and privacy rights of female prisoners and contravenes the definition of women in the Equality Act. Legal representatives for the campaigners characterized the policy as an “Orwellian” neglect of vulnerable female prisoners, while the Scottish government maintains that a blanket ban could violate human rights obligations. The case follows public outcry over a transgender woman convicted of rape being initially placed in a women’s facility.
Date: February 3, 2026. Source: theguardian.com