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Or sign-in if you have an account.A watchtower stands on the edge of fencing at Millhaven Institution on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Photo by Meghan Balogh /The Kingston Whig-StandardA violent sexual offender who recently transitioned gender from male to female has lost a legal bid to be transferred to a women’s prison.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAmanda Joy Cooper, 59, failed to convince Federal Court Justice Janet Fuhrer that the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) was unreasonable in refusing a transfer request last summer. Instead, the CSC moved Cooper from the Atlantic Institution in New Brunswick to Millhaven Institution in Ontario.Cooper has been incarcerated since 2001 as a dangerous offender under an indefinite period of incarceration, convicted of four sexual assaults, forcible confinement and other crimes against adult women and one girl, mostly in Montreal. The victims include female correctional officers, and also members of the public during one three-day spree in 1998 of “sexually victimizing five women and one minor, in public areas in the community,” the judge wrote.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAll those crimes were committed long before Cooper’s 2020 diagnosis of gender dysphoria and 2024 surgery to construct female genitalia and breasts.This new decision of the Federal Court was about an application for judicial review of the decision of the CSC on Cooper’s request last summer to be transferred to a women’s penitentiary.An earlier separate decision refused the same basic request for a transfer, partly on the grounds that Cooper would pose a high risk of harm to inmates and staff at a women’s prison.At a recent hearing, Cooper’s lawyer said Cooper had been groped, taunted and threatened by male inmates. Cooper’s parole officer likewise said Cooper is especially vulnerable among male inmates, “and that it was fair to say Ms. Cooper’s refusal to integrate with the population at Atlantic Institution is consistent with her reasonable fear for her safety.”Cooper was at the Atlantic Institution in New Brunswick before asking to be moved to a women’s prison, and instead was moved last October to Millhaven Institution in Ontario, a maximum security prison for men.In both prisons, Cooper has been held in a special unit and is segregated from other inmates almost all the time.The question before the judge was narrow. Cooper did not challenge the authority of the Correctional Service of Canada to transfer inmates between prisons. Cooper’s claim, as the judge put it, was that “once CSC decided to transfer her, it was required to make a reasonable, lawful, and justified decision about the receiving institution.”The judge found the prison service “did just that.”The decision was not unreasonable, the judge found.“It is not without some reluctance that I thus dismiss this judicial review application, because it means leaving Ms. Cooper, a woman, in a male institution,” the judge wrote. “These Reasons and Judgment should not be viewed, however, as any kind of blanket determination that a transgender or gender-diverse inmate who is designated as a (dangerous offender) cannot be transferred to an institution that aligns with their gender identity, and that may happen eventually for Ms. Cooper.”Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. 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