A violent child rapist, who sexually abused 15 children, including a one-year-old baby, is being released from jail in Sioux City, Iowa, because he is transitioning to become a woman. Smith was committed to jail indefinitely.

Joseph Matthew Smith, who now uses the name Josie Smith, is currently in a residential treatment facility in Sioux City. Smith was arrested in 2015 at the age of 23 for molesting a fellow student. A pre-sentence document stated that as a teenager, Smith abused up to 15 minors between the ages of one and 13.

Smith reported he was molested at the age of seven.

“Mr. Smith has not had an intimate relationship. His sexual encounters appear to have primarily involved molestation, including his own molestation by multiple perpetrators, or his victimization of others,” wrote Dr. Jeffrey Davis, Iowa state’s expert.

According to Storm Lake Times, Smith began using female pronouns and wanted to start transgender classification in October 2017, to “potentially undergo gender reassignment surgery.”

Officials say taking hormones to reduce testosterone reduces the risk of re-offending.

Smith’s case is the first for the Iowa Attorney General. Attorney General spokesperson Lynn Hick stated the reasoning is, “We don’t believe we have evidence sufficient to prove Josie Smith has a significant chance of re-offending.” Hicks added, “She’ll be subject to supervision for the rest of her life.”