Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate
Scottish Prison Service confirms all trans inmates moved following legal ruling on sex segregation
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Image caption, The Scottish Prison Service says it has moved all transgender prisoners out of the women's estate
Photograph: BBC News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has confirmed that there are now zero biological males within the women's prison estate.
- This change follows a legal ruling in June that stated sex segregation in prisons must be based on biological sex, not gender identity.
- Transgender women are now being held in men's prisons.
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published guidance in August stating single-sex spaces should be organised based on biological sex.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 8 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
70/100
Hype
20/100
8 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has confirmed that all transgender inmates have been moved out of women's prisons. Adam Jobson, deputy chief executive of the SPS, told Holyrood's Equalities Committee that a small number of transgender prisoners were relocated following a legal ruling in June. This ruling stated that sex segregation in prisons must be based on biological sex rather than gender identity. Trans women are now held in men's prisons.
The legal decision was based on a Supreme Court ruling concerning the definition of a woman in equality law. Justice Secretary Neil Gray had previously indicated that work was underway to comply with the law and move prisoners. Jobson stated there are now "zero biological males within the women's estate" and that trans prisoners are being treated with respect, with detailed transfer plans in place. The SPS publishes quarterly figures on the number of transgender people in jails.
EHRC guidance and public spaces
The equalities committee is examining the implementation of new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on single-sex spaces. Published in August, the EHRC code of practice states that single-sex spaces open to the public, such as toilets and changing rooms, should be organised based on biological sex. It also advises that trans people should use gender-neutral facilities or those matching their biological sex in places like gym changing rooms or rape crisis centres.
Green MSP Holly Bruce raised concerns about safeguarding for trans prisoners and potential risks to women. She also noted that the EHRC code was having "harmful effects" on "gender non-conforming people, specifically cis women who present more masculinely," citing constituents who felt challenged in bathrooms. Michael Dickson, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, warned against a "political narrative" surrounding the issue, stating that implementation of the code is a response to a legal ruling.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific date of the Supreme Court ruling that informed the June legal decision, only that it concerned the definition of a woman in equality law. No right-rated outlet ran this story.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 13 Nov 2026, 09:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
The service confirmed that all transgender prisoners had been moved
Irish News — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led with the confirmation that there are now zero biological males in women's prisons. These reports included details about the legal ruling in June that necessitated the move, stating that sex segregation must be based on biological sex. They also noted that trans women are now held in men's prisons. The coverage mentioned the EHRC code of practice published in August regarding single-sex spaces. The reports quoted Green MSP Holly Bruce expressing "safeguarding concerns" around trans prisoners and potential risks to women. They also included comments from Michael Dickson of the Scottish Ambulance Service, who warned against a "political narrative" and highlighted that the situation stemmed from a legal ruling.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports also highlighted the Scottish Prison Service's confirmation of zero biological males in women's prisons. They specified that this followed a legal ruling in June which mandated that sex segregation be based on biological sex. The reports noted that trans women are now housed in men's prisons. The coverage mentioned the EHRC code of practice from August concerning single-sex spaces. Both centre-rated reports included quotes from Green MSP Holly Bruce regarding safeguarding concerns for trans prisoners and potential risks to women. They also featured comments from Michael Dickson of the Scottish Ambulance Service, who cautioned against unhelpful political narratives and stressed the legal basis for the changes.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 71% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 8. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate biased?
- Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate is one event reported by 8 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Scottish prisons: zero biological males in women's estate?
- 8 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why have transgender inmates been moved from women's prisons in Scotland?
- Transgender inmates have been moved from women's prisons following a legal ruling in June. This ruling stated that sex segregation in prisons must be based on biological sex rather than gender identity, a principle informed by a Supreme Court decision on equality law.
- Where are trans women now being held in Scotland?
- Trans women are now being held in men's prisons in Scotland. The Scottish Prison Service confirmed that all transgender inmates have been moved out of the women's estate to comply with the legal ruling.
- What is the EHRC's guidance on single-sex spaces?
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) code of practice, published in August, states that single-sex spaces open to the public should be organised based on biological sex. It also suggests trans people use gender-neutral facilities or those matching their biological sex.
Read it at the source
8 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- SPS confirms zero biological males remain in Scotland’s women’s prisons (opens The Herald Scotland in a new tab)
The Herald Scotland — is The Herald Scotland biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zero biological males now in women’s jails, says Scottish Prison Service (opens The Scotsman in a new tab)
The Scotsman — is The Scotsman biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zero biological males now in women’s jails, says Scottish Prison Service (opens The National in a new tab)
The National — is The National biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zero biological males now in women’s jails, says Scottish Prison Service (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zero biological males now in women’s jails, says Scottish Prison Service (opens Irish News in a new tab)
Irish News — is Irish News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
