NCJ Number
196264
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 258-278
Date Published
August 2002
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Data collected from 1997 to 1998 through unstructured interviews with 109 currently incarcerated male and female inmates in 3 Midwestern prisons (1 female and 2 male facilities) and 2 Western State institutions (1 male and 1 female) were analyzed to determine patterns over time in sex-related and gender-related roles.
Abstract
Interviews were also conducted with 61 recently released prisoners in 1 Midwestern State. Interviews focused on preincarceration sexual history and the changes stimulated by incarceration; the nature of sexual activity during incarceration; the context in which sexual activity related to the total experience of prison; perceptions of gender roles as experienced during correctional supervision compared to their experiences before and/or after release; and the reactions of staff and the policy of institutions regarding inmates sexual activity, if any. The findings support the view that biological traits that determine gender are not necessarily linked to "masculine" and "feminine" behavioral and attitudinal gender distinctions imposed by cultural conditioning. Whereas, some ethnic cultural values and norms apparently remained intact during the prisonization process, sexual norms and mores were allowed to lapse in many cases. In Latino/a, African-American, and white supremacist subcultures outside of prison, homosexuality is usually scorned and rejected, yet these attitudes did not restrain inmates with such background from having full sex lives with same-sex partners while incarcerated. Clearly, inmates in this study made adjustments to their concepts of "masculine" and "feminine" sexual behavior while in prison. This research thus demonstrates that although women tend to view sexuality as the vehicle for primary relationships, men in either dominant or submissive roles perceive sex as a symbiotic activity that can have mutual benefits. The implications of these findings for theory and further research are discussed. 1 table and 46 references