Media: Transgender-identified inmates sexually assault women in US prisons

Prison in the USA. Photo: Unsplash/Matthew Ansley

On January 7, 2026, the American outlet The Hill published an article claiming that cases of sexual violence against women prisoners are being recorded in US women’s prisons, allegedly committed by male inmates who declare a transgender identity.

The piece argues that this situation has arisen as a result of federal policy in recent years, including decisions under President Joe Biden’s administration that broadened the use of the principle of “gender self-identification” within the corrections system. The article refers to US Department of Justice guidance and to interpretations of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) which, critics say, in practice compelled prisons to house inmates according to declared gender identity rather than biological sex.

A separate example cited is the state of Massachusetts. The article claims that after the adoption of the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act, men convicted of rape, crimes against children, and murder were able to transfer to women’s facilities without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The Massachusetts facility highlighted is MCI–Framingham.

The author also points to accounts from women prisoners who, speaking anonymously, allege harassment, threats, and sexual violence, as well as claiming that complaints are either ignored by prison administrations or result in punishment for the women who report them. The article further asserts that once a court has approved such a transfer, returning those inmates to men’s prisons becomes virtually impossible.

The publication adds that similar cases have previously been reported in other states as well, including California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. Legislative attempts to restrict the co-housing of women with transgender-identified male inmates – including in the case of individuals convicted of sexual offenses – have, the article says, repeatedly been rejected as discriminatory.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the US House of Representatives approved a ban on transgender procedures for children.

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