Other interviewees had observed vulnerable individuals, who were socially isolated and lacked external financial support, being targeted or “groomed” for sex. “I think the general attitude,” said one, “certainly among long-termers is, whatever people get up to, behind their door, is up to them.”Ī common observation was that prisoners who became indebted to others, typically as a result of drug habits or gambling losses, and/or who had very limited money to buy commodities they desired, would offer “sexual favours” in lieu of payment or in return for “canteen”. Generally, among the participants in this study, there was a high degree of tolerance towards other prisoners participating in consensual sex. Someone like me, never been in prison before I didn’t know where to look half the time!”Ī national survey of both the serving prison population and former prisoners is “urgently required” to understand better the scale of consensual and coercive sex in prison. “It was a big, big shock, a big culture shock. “I couldn’t believe how much kissing and cuddling was going on,” said one woman. Neither of the two women interviewed for this research had personal experience of sex in prison, but both confirmed that the formation of supportive, “close friendships” and strong emotional bonds were commonplace among women prisoners, and sometimes became sexual. Interviewees who had not personally had sex in prison were sometimes aware of consensual sex taking place among other prisoners. At a Category C prison, an interviewee was “shocked, to put it mildly” to be informed in reception that he was entitled to six condoms and a tube of lubricant, but “you had to return the used in a bag to healthcare before you could get any more”. Some sexually active men were refused condoms, while others were able to obtain them from healthcare but often in circumstances which did not allow for any privacy. The research project found that the availability of condoms and dental dams – to minimise prisoners’ risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections – varied from prison to prison. He said he had resumed exclusively heterosexual relationships since leaving prison, and he added: “I’m completely straight what happened then was just about having my sexual needs met, in a particular time and place, where I couldn’t get sex.” One heterosexual man said that he had had consensual sex with gay or bisexual prisoners “out of necessity”. When asked how many sexual partners interviewees had had in prison, numbers ranged from one to “about 30, 35”. Some men who shared cells had sex at night. They usually had sex in the cell of one of the participants or in the showers, during periods of association.
Gay and bisexual men reported that while they were “fairly” or “totally” open about their sexuality on the wing, they were discreet about their sexual activities and relationships. Eighteen interviewees self-identified as heterosexual, four as gay, and four as bisexual. The former prisoners interviewed by Dr Stevens had been jailed for a wide range of offences. Her report concludes that a national survey of both the serving prison population and former prisoners, fully supported by but independent of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), is “urgently required” to understand better the scale of consensual and coercive sex in prison. However, Dr Alisa Stevens, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Southampton, was able to interview 26 former prisoners during the summer of 2014 – 24 men and two women. The Commission sought permission to interview current prisoners about their experiences of sex in prison, but this approach was blocked by the Ministry of Justice. Recommendations from the Commission’s two-year inquiry will be presented today (Tuesday 17 March) at a conference in London.
Sex in prison: Experiences of former prisoners is the fifth and final briefing paper published by the Commission, which was established by the Howard League for Penal Reform and includes eminent academics, former prison governors and health experts. The Commission on Sex in Prison’s final report, published today (Tuesday 17 March), features accounts from former prisoners speaking for the first time about their experiences of sex behind bars.
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