A violent “transgender” male prisoner was quietly transferred back to a men’s prison in June, years after he was accused of sexually assaulting his female cellmate in a women’s prison.
Christopher Scott Williams, who is serving a 28-year sentence for first degree assault, was first denied transfer to a women’s prison in November 2019 due to his history of violence against women, according to records obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. His request to be housed with women was approved in late 2021, documents show, and three months later he allegedly sexually assaulted his female cellmate, Mozzy Clark, according to a lawsuit she filed against the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC).
Clark alleges the state’s actions of placing a “male sexual predator” into her cell and then ignoring her “complaints of sexual harassment and assault” violated several of her constitutional rights, including her right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment and exercise free speech, the lawsuit says.
“Based on Williams’ past history of violence and the explicit recommendation that he not be transferred to a women’s facility it was not only reasonably foreseeable but extremely likely that locking him in a small cell with a female inmate would have disastrous consequences, as it did in this case,” David Pivtorak, Clark’s lawyer, told the DCNF.
Williams was transferred back to a male prison on June 20, 2025, according to the Washington DOC, which lists his gender as female on its website.
For privacy reasons, the Washington DOC was unable to comment on why Williams was placed back in a men’s facility. A spokesperson told the DCNF incarcerated individuals “are often transferred to other facilities, sometimes temporarily, for a variety of reasons like medical treatment, programming needs, or security reasons.”
The DCNF was unable to reach Williams for comment, and it appears that he is currently without legal representation.
“Many women who are in prison are victims of sexual assault, emotional abuse, physical abuse and having men in their spaces can be a very big trigger for them.” – @andreajmew
Read the story from @kliseanderson via @DailyCaller:https://t.co/cH6XEN0Mbipic.twitter.com/0Tw9jgPPH9
— Independent Women’s Forum (@IWF) June 6, 2024
‘Classified As Male’
Williams was denied a transfer to a women’s prison in November 2019, according to a 116-page custody review summary of his housing and security needs the DCNF obtained through a public records request.
After “considering all options,” a Washington DOC Housing Assignment Review committee did not support Williams’ request to be transferred to a women’s prison in November 2019 due to his “level of past violence towards women.” The committee recommended instead that he be transferred to a single cell in a male prison, documents show.
A series of entries from December 2019 detail how Williams wanted to be transferred to a “non male facility,” claiming he did “not feel safe from Sexual exploitation in Male Facilities” and did not feel safe “being classified as male.”
“Due to ongoing sexual exploitation in Male Facilities she does not feel safe to be housed in Male Facilities and does not feel safe being classified as male,” states the summary document.
In the following months, Williams continued requesting to be transferred to the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW), asking to be “separated from the male populations in accordance with the Violence Against Women Act,” documents show. A corrections officer noted in the custody review summary that Williams did not “support decisions made to house her in a male facility.”
The Washington DOC previously told the DCNF an incarcerated person’s housing situation is determined by their Custody Review Score.
“State and federal law prescribe where offenders are to be housed. Inside, most have a cellmate, unless placed in temporary administrative segregation or assigned to higher security levels based on a Custody Review Score,” said the representative for the Washington DOC.
The DCNF previously reported on Williams’ 98-page prison infraction summary, which documents a long history of violent behavior and serious infractions before he was transferred to a women’s prison. The list of infractions of which Williams was found to have violated includes fighting with another inmate, sexual harassment, possessing sexually explicit materials, stealing food, damaging property and providing false information during an investigation of sexual misconduct.
Williams is first referred to as “she” in the custody review summary in a March 2019 note highlighting three serious prison infractions.
On Trans Day of Remembrance, we honor those we have lost to violence.
We will continue to work to protect the futures of all trans people – futures that are safe, filled with dignity, joy, and possibility. pic.twitter.com/PIpiWqy8p3
— ACLU of Washington (@ACLU_WA) November 21, 2023
Lawfare Changes Prison Policies
The Washington DOC came under scrutiny in 2017 when Disability Rights Washington (DRW), a federally-funded nonprofit and activist group, began an extensive investigation into the treatment of “transgender people with disabilities in DOC,” according to an October 2023 complaint filed by DRW against Washington DOC.
DRW entered into negotiations with Washington DOC in December 2019 “as an alternative to litigation about DRW’s concerns about access to equal and gender-affirming medical care, housing, property, and programming for transgender, intersex, and non-binary people with disabilities,” according to a lawsuit filed in April 2021 against Washington DOC by DRW and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington on behalf of several transgender inmates.
In the midst of these negotiations Washington DOC published its first policy specific to “transgender” inmates in February 2020, which allowed inmates to be transferred to a prison that matches their gender identity — how they feel about their sex — rather than their biology.
The Washington DOC told the DCNF its “gender-affirming” housing assignment policy considers “objective criteria” such as the inmates gender identity.
“Regarding our gender-affirming housing, we have developed a comprehensive housing assignment process to determine where an incarcerated individual is housed considering objective criteria that includes their gender identity. If a person identifies as transgender or non-binary, they participate in a thorough mental health assessment, healthcare assessment and facility evaluation,” a representative for the Washington DOC told the DCNF.
“If a person identifies as transgender or non-binary, they participate in a thorough mental health assessment, healthcare assessment and facility evaluation. Several multidisciplinary teams must review all requests for transfer for a final placement determination. Each situation is considered on a case-by-case basis, with a focus on safety both for the incarcerated individual and those who are housed at the facility,” a representative for the Washington DOC told the DCNF.
In accordance with this policy, Washington DOC approved Williams’ request for transfer to the women’s prison in October 2021, as documented by a corrections specialist who noted that she did not “concur” with this plan.
By December 2021, Williams had earned his first infraction, an unauthorized absence from a required appointment, at the women’s prison, according to the infraction summary obtained by the DCNF.
Assault Allegations In Prison
Williams is described as a “6 foot, 4 inch biological male who was known to be a violent, convicted sexual predator” in Clark’s lawsuit. Clark alleges that she was forced to share a cell with Williams at WCCW. Williams is currently serving a sentence for first degree assault and has an earned release date of 2038, according to the Washington DOC.
In January and February of 2022, three months after Williams was granted transfer to a women’s prison, Clark was allegedly terrorized by her “fully intact” male cellmate, the lawsuit claims. Clark alleges Williams repeatedly sexually harassed her in the prison cell they shared and sexually assaulted her multiple times as described in the lawsuit against the Washington DOC.
The case is set to go before a jury in Washington Western District Court on Oct. 26, 2026. Williams does not appear to have filed a denial or answer to Clark’s claims, according to the case docket. Defendants in the case — prison officials and guards — have denied Clark’s allegations in court filings.
A representative from the Washington DOC told the DCNF that while they cannot comment on litigation concerning individual inmates or their specific housing placement decisions, they take allegations of assault seriously.
“We take all allegations of assault seriously. DOC follows the Prison Rape Elimination Act standards for response to reported sexual harassment and sexual assault. If an incarcerated individual claims to have been sexually harassed or assaulted, the alleged perpetrator and the alleged victim are separated so that they are not housed together,” a representative for the Washington DOC told the DCNF.
“It’s unfortunate that the State of Washington would seek to prioritize the personal desires of a male sex offender over the safety and well-being of women in its custody. It shows a cynical and craven submission to a dangerous, fringe ideology that disregards common sense and evidence-based policy to appease a small faction of radical activists,” Pivtorak told the DCNF.
Washington DOC further expanded its gender ideology policies in October 2023 when DRW announced it had successfully negotiated a settlement with the Washington DOC. DRW claimed Washington DOC had failed to “modify policies, practices, and procedures” to accommodate disabled transgender inmates and violated their rights, according to a press release.
DRW was given $1,500,000 to cover legal fees and costs incurred during the settlement negotiations. It was also given $300,000 annually to ensure the Washington DOC complied with the settlement terms, while the agreement is in effect.
Disability Rights Washington did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit:Dylan Oliphan/Wikimedia commons/Flickr)
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