Sociological Aspect of Prison Life

Steven Limbaugh,Yahoo! Contributor Network
July 30, 2010

Sexual relations between inmates have been an ongoing occurrence long before the terminology prison and correctional facility ever existed. The majority of prisons throughout the United States completely ignore the fact prisoners are still human, and by nature have sexual urges that can lead to sexual frustration. As a rule, inmates are forbidding from showing signs of affection and cannot participate in sexual relations with other inmates. Individual caught in the act will be reprimanded immediately by officials. There are three categories prison sex is divided into: masturbation, heterosexual sex, and homosexual sex.

Statistics show 90% of all men and women have admitted practicing masturbation while being incarcerated. Though this is the safest means to release sexual urges, one can be written up by official for unsanitary practices. During past history, heterosexual sex would often take place between a female inmate and a male custodian or official. This behavior is illegal in 46 states to present date, but with proper training, and strict rules and regulations sexual relations between inmates and staff are a thing of the past, or so they say. Surveys conducted by professionals show when homosexual sex occurs, inmates with long terms are either raping inmates; heterosexual individual's conform to prison life; or were homosexual initially.

Before the 1980's the inmate population was much lower than it is now. After the war on drugs and crime came into effect, prison overcrowding has increased immensely which has placed certain state and federal prison facilities at a higher risk for sexual misconduct to take place. Prison officials are trained to keep a close watch on all inmates for safety. In 2003, President George W. Bush constructed the "Prison Rape Elimination Act that would gather national statistics, create rules for states for dealing with prison rape, design a committee for annual meetings, and provide extra federal funding to states to fight the issue.

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