Pedophile Josie Smith is to be freed from jail after having gender reassignment treatment, which lowered her testosterone levels and the chances of her re-offending. She is currently at a residential treatment facility in Sioux City, right

A pedophile who sexually abused 15 children including a one year-old baby is to be freed from jail after transitioning to become a woman.

Josie Smith, 23, is set to be let out four years after her conviction thanks to hormone treatment which lowered her testosterone levels.

She was sentenced before she began the hormone treatment, and was originally ordered to stay behind bars indefinitely on the basis that she had the sex drive of a man.

But lowering Smith’s testosterone has also diminished her sex drive, and thus dramatically decreased the risk of her re-offending, according to officials.


She has been receiving the treatment for the last two years as she prepares to ‘potentially undergo gender reassignment surgery,’ the Storm Lake Times reported.



Smith was jailed in December 2015 under her old name Joseph after being convicted of molesting a student.

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A pre-sentence report said she had abused up to 15 youngsters aged between one and 13, and recommended a lengthy spell behind bars.

Explaining the reason why Smith will now be freed, Iowa Attorney General spokesman Lynn Hicks said: ‘We don’t believe we have evidence sufficient to prove Josie Smith has a significant chance of re-offending.’

Hicks said the Iowa Attorney General’s office has never dealt with a case like Smith’s

Smith was transferred to the Sioux City Residential Treatment Facility last Saturday as she gradually prepares for her release.

Officials have yet to say when she will leave custody for good.

Hicks added: ‘We don’t believe we have evidence sufficient to prove Josie Smith has a significant chance of re-offending.

‘She’ll be subject to supervision for the rest of her life.’

A pre-sentence report prepared in 2015 found the likelihood of Smith offending pre-transition exceeded 20%.

This was based on the fact that her victims were both male and female, her being under 25 years old, and never having had a long-term relationship.

Smith was herself molested while growing up in Louisiana, with that abuse beginning when she was aged just seven.

Forensic psychologist Dr Tracy Rogers told the Des Moines Register that laws require prosecutors to prove a sex offender has a chance of of re-offending greater than 51% for the rest of his life.

That percentage is considerably lowered when an offender has treatment to lower testosterone levels, like Smith has.