Just how our leaders and their lobbyists have decided that it’s now OK to put some men in women’s prisons is difficult to fathom.

There has been no discussion in societies around the world about modifying the conditions under which women are held in prisons. Numbers have increased steadily for decades in most places because of non-sexist attitudes to sentencing and stricter parole requirements. The crimes women are being incarcerated for has also changed. But the principle of keeping women and men separate in prisons, for the purpose of women’s safety, and sometimes for the safety of their children, has been secure.

But now there’s this case in California, and we should talk about it. It’s special because it’s so horrible. It’s a warning sign that cries out to tell us something. I think we’d better listen.