Almost two thirds of transgender women in prisons who are still legally recognised as men have been convicted of sex offences, official figures show.

This rate – 62 per cent – is far higher than that of the male prison population as a whole.

Some 151 of the 245 legally male trans women in jail at the end of March 2024 were sex offenders, according to data revealed in response to a written parliamentary question.

In comparison, 17 per cent of men in prison in England and Wales are sex offenders.

A rule change in 2023 meant trans women with male genitalia, or those convicted of violent or sexual offences, were no longer allowed to be held in women’s jails.

Exemptions can still be considered by ministers in ‘exceptional circumstances’. The rule change followed high profile cases including that of Isla Bryson, who began identifying as a trans woman while awaiting trial for two rapes.

In February 2023, Bryson was convicted of two rapes and jailed for eight years.

She was first sent to the all-female Cornton Vale prison in Scotland before being transferred to a male prison after the case sparked public outrage.