Majority of trans inmates claiming to be female convicted of violent crimes, study finds

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, February 21, 2023

A majority of male inmates claiming to be trans-identified have been convicted of violent offenses, and nearly half have a history of sexual offenses, according to a study from the Canadian prison system.  

The study, conducted by Correctional Service of Canada and titled “Examination of Gender Diverse Offenders,” surveyed 99 so-called “gender diverse offenders” who were part of the in-custody population between Dec. 27, 2017, and March 13, 2020.

The study seeks to provide "an initial descriptive profile of gender diverse federal offenders, who accounted for 0.4% of the general offender population."

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Men who identify as women made up the largest group of “gender diverse offenders” (61.6%), followed by 21% of women who identify as men. Seventeen percent of participants were categorized as “other” in the study, which consisted of individuals identifying as “gender fluid” or “gender non-conforming/non-binary.”

According to the data, 41.6% of male inmates who identified as the opposite sex had been convicted of homicide, and 91.6% had been incarcerated for a violent offense. 

Thirty percent of male inmates identifying as women were found to have committed a sex-related crime, and 44.3% had a history of sexual offenses. 

LISTEN to CP's Podcast: Biological Men in Women's Prisons? The 'Insane' and Terrifying Situation Plaguing Female Inmates

In comparison, 71.4% of women identifying as men were incarcerated for a violent offense, and 28.6% had been convicted of homicide. Zero percent of female inmates identifying as men had a most serious offense that was sex-related, and 0% had a history of sexual offenses. 

Another data table breaks down the 33 “gender diverse individuals” who committed sex offenses, finding that 93.9% (31) committed a sex offense before they started identifying as the opposite sex. In 84.9% of cases, the inmates' offense caused death or serious harm to the victim.

Pier Lécuyer, senior media relations advisor for Correctional Service Canada, told The Daily Wire that “of the 33 gender diverse offenders identified with a sex offense history, 84.9% (28) were male and 15.1% (five) were female at the time of the study.” 

Among the sex offense crimes committed by the "gender diverse individuals," females (54.5%) and children (58%) made up over half of the victims.

The report highlights the debate about whether correctional systems should allow male inmates to be housed in women's prisons where female inmates are at risk. 

As The Christian Post previously reported in 2017, Canada added “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the categories of personhood under the national Human Rights Act and the criminal code under Bill C-16.

As a result, male prisoners who claim to identify as female could request to be relocated to women's prisons. However, Canada later updated the policy in 2022, allowing prison officials to reject an inmate’s transfer request based on their chosen gender identity.

The issue of whether to allow inmates to be relocated to opposite-sex prisons is also being hotly debated in Scotland and the United States. 

Last month, Justice Secretary Keith Brown in Scotland announced that the government had paused housing trans-identifying inmates with violent histories in-all female prisons. Brown revealed that the government is reviewing its policies on the matter. 

During this time, newly convicted offenders with violent histories will not be placed in women’s prisons, nor will trans-identifying inmates in custody be transferred from a male prison to a female one. 

READ: Women forced to live behind bars with male rapists speak out

The decision stems from the controversy surrounding Isla Bryson, an offender convicted of rape twice before he began identifying as a woman. Pending a sentence, Bryson was set to be transferred to Corton Vale, a women’s prison, but due to concern about the female inmates’ safety, he was transferred to HMP Edinburgh instead. 

Another trans-identifying inmate, Tiffany Scott, was also scheduled for a transfer to the same women’s prison. Before he started identifying as a woman, Scott was convicted of stalking a 13-year-old girl, and he had a history of violence. 

Female inmates who have been incarcerated in the United States have also spoken out about what it’s like to be imprisoned alongside a biological male. 

In a bonus episode of CP's podcast series, "Generation Indoctrination: Inside The Transgender Battle," former inmate Amie Ichikawa recalled telling her disbelieving family that she had been locked up at the Central California Women's Facility along with men. 

"It's the most helpless feeling I've had to date," Ichikawa said. 

"Just to know that you have absolutely no control of your environment, your own physical wellbeing, your mental health, nothing. And there's really no one you can talk to about it. It's so unbelievable that I would call home every day crying for weeks, trying to explain to my family that there was a serial rapist housed here. And that this is legal, that the state really did it," she continued.

Ichikawa was housed at the Central California Women’s Facility, and she reported how synthetic testosterone was distributed in medical lines at son clinics. Women with a more masculine appearance were often encouraged to take the drug, but only the prison staff could administer it. Trans-identifying male inmates, however, were permitted to take estrogen in their rooms. 

According to the former inmate, some women confided in her that they considered taking testosterone to grow strong enough to protect themselves from the male inmates inside of the prison.