There have been at least five cases of trans-identified males assaulting female inmates after being transferred to women’s correctional facilities in Germany, with four of these attacks being described as “sexually motivated.” Two of these male prisoners have had to be relocated back to a men’s prison as a result of their aggression. The new information has come to light following information requests submitted to the Ministry of Justice by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Last April, the German Parliament, or Bundestag, passed one of the world’s most far-reaching laws allowing sex self-declaration on demand. The Self-Determination Act (SBGG) establishes ‘gender identity’ as a protected characteristic, allows parents to change the sex marker on their children’s documents from birth, and imposes hefty fines of up to €10,000 (approx. $10,800 USD) for revealing a person’s given name and birth sex without their permission – referred to by trans activists as ‘deadnaming.’
The SBGG came into effect on November 1, 2024, but violent male criminals were already being transferred into women’s prisons ahead of the policy. It is not clear when trans-identified males began to be housed in women’s facilities, but as previously reported by Reduxx, official information from the Senate Department of Justice in Berlin shows that since 2023 “15 people whose sex was registered as male at birth have been imprisoned in the Berlin correctional facility for women.”
In January, the Federal States’ Ministry of Justice confirmed that at least five trans-identified male inmates had physically assaulted female inmates on several occasions, and that four of these men had been sexually aggressive. The admission was made in response to an information request from the AfD filed in December. Previously, all federal states had denied sexual attacks by imprisoned trans-identified men when asked by media.
Now, a response to a follow-up inquiry filed by AfD politician Marc Vallendar has revealed that two trans-identified males had to be removed from women’s prisons in Berlin due to the danger they posed to the safety of female inmates. Published February 7, the responses from Berlin State Secretary for Justice Dirk Feuerberg bizarrely claim that there haven’t been any incidents in women’s correctional facilities, while also stating that men had to be removed for security reasons.
“Two people with a trans identity of female were expelled from the women’s prison during their detention, and transferred to the men’s prison, and in both cases this was for security reasons due to threats against female prisoners,” Justice Feuerberg said, in response to Vallendar’s information request.
“It is noteworthy that despite the overall low number of transfers, two prisoners had to be sent back to the male estate because they threatened female prisoners in the women’s prison,” said Vallendar. “This shows that the new self-determination law destroys even the safety of women in prisons.”
Confusingly, government officials once more denied any negative repercussions as a result of gender identity policies. Justice Feuerberg claimed that there had been no “unpleasant surprises” in Berlin’s correctional institutions.
“What is the Senate’s position on the statement by René Müller, head of the Federation of German Prison
Officers (BSBD), who warned of a ‘weakening of gender segregation’ and possible ‘unpleasant surprises’ in the prison system?” wrote MP Vallendar.
“Contrary to the statement made by Mr. René Müller,” replied Justice Feuerberg, “there have been no ‘unpleasant surprises’ in the prison system of the State of Berlin since the principle of separation was reformulated in the Berlin Prison Act.”
When asked what impact the Self-Determination Act (SBGG) will have on the Berlin prison system, Justice Feuerberg dodged the question entirely, stating: “The effects of the SBGG (Self-Determination Act) cannot currently be assessed. It is possible that simplifying the process of changing the legal sex will lead to an increase of cases, where decisions must be made about accommodation, taking into account the needs of the person concerned, the requirements of security and order, the needs of other prisoners, and ensuring the achievement of the objectives of incarceration.”
The public inquiry response comes on the heels of news that Berlin prisons are planning to ditch sex-specific signage. One prison, Tegel, which is one of Germany’s largest prisons, has already done so, according to T-Online. The decision to remove sex-specific terms from the facility was made in response to complaints from trans-identified male inmates who claimed they were being discriminated against.
As previously reported by Reduxx, in May of 2024 women‘s rights organization Initiative Lasst Frauen Sprechen (Let Women Speak) began to file Freedom of Information requests requesting figures from all ministries of justice in the federal states in Germany on how many men have been or are currently imprisoned in women’s correctional facilities since 2023.
The campaign group also asked for information on the nature of the crimes the men had committed. For a response, the Ministry of Justice in Saxony demanded an egregious €1,100 fee.
The response from government officials show that males are already being housed in women’s prisons in every federal state, a practice that began months ahead of the German self-identification law coming into force in November. The only federal state that does not house men in women’s prisons is Saarland, because there are no women’s prisons in the region. As a result, trans-identified male criminals in the state may be relocated to female facilities in other federal districts.
However, details of the male inmates’ crimes and convictions were not provided on the grounds that the Berlin prisons do not report the offenses to the Senate Administration. Therefore, that information is not required to be revealed through the Freedom of Information Act.
German outlet NiUS also facilitated a request for similar information and received a response from the Ministry of Justice in Saxony indicating that three males had been housed at the Chemnitz correctional facility for women between 2023 and 2024. The inmates had criminal records indicating assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment and assault on law enforcement officers. One of them was convicted of rape.
Last month, a survey by Die Welt was conducted in the 16 state justice ministries across the country, confirmed a number of incidents involving trans-identified male inmates who had been housed in women’s prisons.
In Vechta, a women’s prison in Lower Saxony, three sexual assaults were reported to have taken place by the same transgender perpetrator between 2023 and 2024. While the trans-identified male was not identified, it is known he had been convicted of the possession of child sexual abuse material.
One of the most widely-reported incidents occurred in 2023 at the Frauen-JVA Chemnitz, a full year ahead of the passage of the SBGG. The male inmate is said to have sexually harassed female inmates, repeatedly pressured them for sex, threatened them with assault, and masturbated in the corridors of the detention center.
The sexual harassment only came to light after a letter from a female inmate was published by German press. Following outcry, the trans-identified male was returned to a men’s prison.
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