NCJ Number
80467
Date Published
1981
Length
243 pages
Annotation
This book summarizes the available research on prison homosexuality among adult and juvenile inmates, both male and female. Two theories are discussed: the importation theory, which maintains that the background of the inmate is a more important predictor that the prison environment, and the deprivation theory, which states that inmate subculture behavior is a reaction to the dehumanizing environment in prisons.
Abstract
The book also determines how well each of these theories accounts for individual and institutional variations in homosexuality among girls in three coed and four all-female institutions. The major sources of data for the study were 262 self-administered questionnaires given to 396 female juvenile inmates and numerous interviews and conversations with staffs and youths. The research results contradicted many myths. For instance, it was discovered that the incidence of homosexuality in the sample was the same among male and female inmates. In addition, the surveys revealed that fewer than half of the inmates had had a prison homosexual experience, although the literature suggests a majority of inmates do. Furthermore, homosexual experiences begun in prison were continued after release. Preprison homosexuality was the best predictor of prison homosexuality, and rates of homosexuality in coed and female prisons were the same once the effect of previous homosexuality was taken into account. Rates of homosexuality appear to be the same in both treatment-oriented and custody-oriented institutions. The myth that participation in prison quasi-families leads to homosexual activity was also refuted. The study concludes that any development of policy designed to control homosexuality must weigh the seriousness of the homosexual act against the potential for more negative effects that might be created by the methods of control. Available evidence suggests that two of the most effective steps to reduce prison homosexuality are to decrease the length of prison sentences and to establish more weekend-furlough programs. Policies that make inmates' lives sterile and inhuman by restricting affectionate contact could create more problems for inmates and administrators than the occasional homosexual encounter. Tables, charts and a subject index are provided. Appendixes contain the study instruments. The bibliographical index lists over 300 items. (Author summary modified)