Buzzy backs calls for UK prison sex toy trial
Retailer offers to help identify suitable products for a controlled trial exploring women’s mental health and wellbeing
Buzzy.co.uk has backed calls for the UK to consider a controlled trial allowing women in prison to purchase approved sex toys, following a similar scheme in the Netherlands.
The sexual wellbeing retailer says women’s sexual health deserves proper consideration within prison healthcare and would welcome the opportunity to help authorities identify products similar to those approved for the Dutch trial.
The Dutch prison service began its pilot in May 2026 on selected women’s prison and psychiatric units. Prisoners can buy approved items at cost price, subject to safety and hygiene requirements.
Dutch broadcaster NOS reports that the options are an air-pressure stimulator and a transparent dildo. The trial is intended to run for one year, with an assessment after six months examining wellbeing, sexuality and social safety.
Buzzy will also write to Justice Secretary Alex Norris and prisons minister Catherine McKinnell, urging them to consider a similar trial in England and Wales. The letters will set out the retailer’s support for the Dutch approach and its offer to help identify suitable products for assessment by prison security and healthcare teams.
Andy Barr, Head of Marketing at Buzzy.co.uk, said:
“Women’s health needs do not disappear at the prison gate. Sexual wellbeing is part of that conversation, and embarrassment should never be the reason we refuse to have it.
“We support calls for the UK to consider a similar approach. The Dutch trial gives prison authorities a chance to examine whether carefully managed access can support women’s wellbeing, and that deserves serious attention here.
“We recognise that any item permitted in prison must be assessed for potential misuse, including as a weapon. We would welcome the opportunity to help identify products similar to those used in the Dutch trial, with prison security and healthcare teams deciding which, if any, are suitable and what safeguards are needed.”
The World Health Organization’s working definition of sexual health includes physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing. Buzzy says this gives ministers a reason to consider sexual wellbeing within the wider discussion about women’s health in custody.
Buzzy says Justice Secretary Alex Norris and prisons minister Catherine McKinnell should review the Dutch approach with HM Prison and Probation Service and consider a voluntary pilot in England and Wales. Prison staff and healthcare teams should help shape the scheme, with clear rules on hygiene and privacy. Any trial should sit alongside existing mental health care and be independently evaluated.
Barr added: “Sexual wellbeing should be something we can discuss sensibly, including in prisons. If a carefully controlled trial could help women, ministers should be willing to explore it.”
