Transgender prison death: Peers back reform
Peers have backed calls for a shake-up of the government's handling of transgender prisoners.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat Baroness Barker raised the case of Vikki Thompson to call for a change in government policy. Ms Thompson, 21, died at Armley jail on 13 November. She had said she would kill herself if sent to a male prison. Justice Department minister Lord Faulks said the policy regarding transgender prisoners was currently under review. 'Dangerous thing to do' Baroness Barker said: "Recent events have shown that placing transwomen in male estates is a dangerous thing to do. "Transprisoners should be housed in the estate of their acquired gender in the first instance, and only moved to the other estate following a thorough investigation that has ruled out all other safe alternatives." Labour peer, and former EastEnders actor, Lord Cashman called for a review of the situation of all transpeople in jail, saying they should be moved to "appropriate prisons according to their acquired gender in order to avoid a repeat of the tragedy that befell Vikki Thompson". The death of Ms Thompson led to a review of the government's policy on the care of transgender prisoners. Ms Thompson's death came just weeks after another transgender woman was sent to a men's prison in Bristol. Tara Hudson, from Bath, was later transferred to a female prison after a campaign to get her moved. Labour's Lord Beecham called for a broadening out of the government's review to include staff training given that 186 suicides had taken place in prisons in the year to September, and self-harming incidents had increased by 21%.