An Exploratory Study of Sex and Rape Behind Bars in a South African Prison

Abstract

This study explores male inmates" perceptions of sex and rape in a South African correctional centre (prison). In South Africa, consensual sex between inmates is prohibited by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and inmates are therefore reluctant to report on such activities. Furthermore, the prison code of silence and the shame from being the victim of a prison rape make this an exceptionally challenging topic to research. Despite these challenges, 100 face-toface interviews were conducted with male inmates (children, juveniles and adults) who were either awaiting trial or already sentenced for a criminal offence. The main focus was on their general viewpoints of consensual sex between men and prison rape victimization. The current study was an exploratory study and because of the size of the sample this study cannot be generalised. It does, however, offer valuable insight into the prison subculture"s unwritten rules about sex and rape.

Sex in Prisoner Power Relations: Attitudes and Practices in a Ukrainian Correctional Colony for Men

“…Due to methodological differences and the sensitivity of the issue, estimates differ enormously, and 'analyses of sexual activity in prisons have been inconsistent and inconclusive' (Saum et al 1995, p.417;see also Dumond 2000;Gibson and Hensley 2013;Jones and Pratt 2008;Marcum 2014;O'Donnell 2004). Prison cultures, whilst typically homophobic, differ in their acceptance of men-on-men sex: some accommodate it, albeit with a host of caveats (for example, US, Costa Rica, and South Africa), and others abhor it (for example, Israel and Taiwan) (Booyens and Bezuidenhout 2014;Einat 2012;Gear 2005;Hsu 2005;Schifter 1999;Trammell 2011).…”

“…Sex with men in prison is not a substitute for sex with women but the evolution and diversification of their sexuality, which constructionists, unlike essentialists, regard as dynamic (Blackburn, Fowler and Mullings ; Eigenberg ; Gibson and Hensley ; Schifter ). Finally, building on a feminist view of rape, the power perspective explains rape as a means of domination, with sexual gratification merely a by‐product of a quest to alleviate personal disempowerment by humiliating and harming others (Booyens and Bezuidenhout ; D'Alessio, Flexon and Stolzenberg ; Hsu ; O'Donnell ; Zaitsow ). Whilst many commentators prefer one of the perspectives, some research, often more recent and qualitative in its methodology, provides empirical support for all three (Gear ; Schifter ).…”

“…The informal prohibition of rape and arbitrary violence meant that so‐called ‘protective pairing’, in other words, sexual exploitation typical of some prison cultures, was unacceptable in Ukraine (cf. Booyens and Bezuidenhout ; Egelund ; Gear , ; Reed ; Schifter ; Trammell ).…”

“…Sex 1 among male prisoners (henceforth prison sex) is often coercive and expresses the domination of some prisoners by others (Dumond 2000;Tewksbury and West 2000;Trammell 2011). Much of what we know about prison sex stems from research in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (Banbury 2004;Hensley, Struckman-Johnson and Eigenberg 2000;O'Donnell 2004;Tewksbury and West 2000), with a few notable exceptions (Booyens and Bezuidenhout 2014;Egelund 2014;Einat 2012Einat , 2014Gear 2005;Schifter 1999). Furthermore, because of restricted access, a great deal of research on prison sex utilises secondary, aggregated, or retrospective data.…”

“…I begin by reviewing sex's role in men's prisons (hereafter prisons) as a substitute for heterosexual liaisons, a means of inter-prisoner view of rape, the power perspective explains rape as a means of domination, with sexual gratification merely a by-product of a quest to alleviate personal disempowerment by humiliating and harming others (Booyens and Bezuidenhout 2014;D'Alessio, Flexon and Stolzenberg 2013;Hsu 2005;O'Donnell 2004;Zaitsow 2014). Whilst many commentators prefer one of the perspectives, some research, often more recent and qualitative in its methodology, provides empirical support for all three (Gear 2005;Schifter 1999).…”