FEMALE PRISON GUARDS ORDERED TO STRIP SEARCH TRANS CONVICT

‘We keep hearing about trans prisoners rights what about our rights?

- MARK McGIVERN

FEMALE prison officers claim their human rights went “out of the window” when they were ordered to carry out intimate searches on dangerous trans prisoner Tiffany Scott. 

Full body searches of Scott began being carried out by women officers when Scott’s gender identity changed from “male” to “female” on a prisons computer record system, the Daily Record can reveal.

But one prison insider said “nothing else about Scott has changed physically,” and women officers who refused to do the searches have to submit their reasons in writing.

The transfer of 31-year-old Scott – formerly Andrew Burns – from HMP Low Moss, near Glasgow, to a women’s prison later this year was blocked after the Record revealed the Scottish Prison Service plans.

The political storm, which brought huge criticism for Nicola Sturgeon, led to the halting of all trans prisoners with a history of violence against women being sent to women’s prisons.

Now female officers from the Low Moss male prison have come forward to express their concerns over women having to carry out searches on Scott – who has to remove clothing for the procedure.

One whistleblower revealed that several female prison staff have repeatedly refused to do searches on Scott, who still has male genitalia.

They also expressed safety concerns after Scott had a “meltdown” after learning their move to a female prison was being blocked.

A Low Moss officer spoke to the Record after discussions with fellow staff members – all of whom believe female workers should not have to carry out full body searches on Scott or any other trans prisoner with male genitalia.