NCJ Number
47977
Journal
Psychiatry Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (AUGUST 1976) Pages: 245-257
Date Published
1976
Length
13 pages
Annotation
THE POSTPRISON SEXUAL EXPERIENCES OF NINE MALES WHOSE INTRODUCTION TO HOMOSEXUALITY TOOK PLACE DURING THEIR PRISON TERMS ARE EXAMINED.
Abstract
THE SUBJECTS INCLUDED FIVE VOLUNTARY AGGRESSORS (I.E., MALES WHO INITIATED HOMOSEXUAL ACTS IN PRISON), AND FOUR INVOLUNTARY RECRUITS (I.E., MALES WHO VIEWED THEMSELVES AS HETEROSEXUAL WHEN THEY ENTERED PRISON BUT WERE RAPED, CAJOLED, THREATENED, OR OTHERWISE MADE TO PARTICIPATE IN HOMOSEXUAL ACTS). AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY, THE AGGRESSORS HAD BEEN OUT OF PRISON A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME (AN AVERAGE OF 4 MONTHS), WHEREAS THE RECRUITS HAD BEEN FREE FOR A LONGER TIME (AVERAGE OF 2 YEARS). ALL OF THE SUBJECTS WERE BETWEEN 18 AND 25 YEARS OF AGE WHILE THEY WERE IN PRISON. THE 'STORIES' RELATED BY BOTH GROUPS OF SUBJECTS ARE SUMMARIZED, AND CONCLUSIONS ARE DRAWN. AFTER PRISON, ALL OF THE RECRUITS, WHO INSISTED THAT THEIR HOMOSEXUAL EXPERIENCES LEAD TO EXCLUSIVE HOMOSEXUALITY OR ARE TIME-LIMITED IN A ONE-SEX SETTING DEPENDS PRIMARILY ON THE MEANINGS IMPUTED TO THE EXPERIENCE BY THE ACTOR. FURTHER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED, AND METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE STUDY ARE NOTED. A GENERAL DISCUSSION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN PRISON AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)