The Characteristics and Motivations Behind Female Prison Sex

Hensley, Christopher; Tewksbury, Richard; Koscheski, Mary

doi:10.1300/j012v13n02_07

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Hensley, Tewksbury and Koscheski (2002) sought to explore the predictors of the same sex encounters by females and found that age (under the age of 34) and length of time incarcerated (women who had been incarcerated for longer periods of time) were the primary factors that distinguished the two groups. They also noted that non-Protestant religious affiliation was associated with performing oral sex on another inmate.…”

Section: Consensual Sexual Behavior In Prisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Markers for Sexual Predation and Victimization in Prison

2009

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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Our research was exploratory and sought for the first time to apply empirically validated static and dynamic risk makers for violence in the community to sexual predation and victimization in prisons. We conducted this exploration using five outcome measures including experiences of coerced sexuality while imprisoned as a perpetrator or victim, involvement in sexual exchanges that were based on bartering of goods or protection as either a perpetrator or victim, and consensual acts that occurred with other inmates or members of the correctional staff. We sought to identify the most relevant risk markers through a review of clinical violence risk research, criminological research concerning sexual violence in the community and in prison, and risk classification schemes for incarcerated men and women. This review directed us to the potential relevance of an array of risk factors that included early adverse life experiences; prior adolescent and domestic violence; criminality and prison violence; hyper-sexuality and impersonal sexuality; affective and cognitive states including anger, impulsivity and thoughts of harm; personality traits and disorders including psychopathy; extant risk instruments for violence including the COVR, HCR:20 and VRAG; and the social environment as reflected in the attitudes and behaviors of the correctional staff in each institution. Each of these domains of risk markers was examined in terms of its bivariate association with the various outcome measures and later entered into a multivariate classification analysis using Chi Square Automated Interaction Detector (CHAID). This analytic process resulted in the construction of nine valid conceptual models for predatory, victimized, bartered, and consensual sex in prison, each of which was different for the male and female inmates.The models were developed using a sample of 471 inmates (288 males/ 183 females) from two states. The models were characterized by good to excellent (.70 to.99) accuracy with high levels of sensitivity and relatively low levels of specificity. In developing our models, we found that male inmates engaged in more predatory, bartered, and consensual sex with visitors or staff while the female inmates engaged in more bartered and consensual sex with other inmates. However, these different types of sex were highly related suggesting that inmates who engage in one type of sex are far more likely to be involved in the other types of sex and that these inmates are different in many ways from inmates who adopt a largely asexual stance while incarcerated. Similarly, many of the risk makers for sex in prison have been previously identified as predicting violent behavior in the community. Inmates who experienced conduct problems as juveniles, had problems establishing relationship with others during adolescence, had a past history of early violence, and suffered from one or more of the Cluster B personality diagnoses tended to be more sexually active in prison. The HCR: 20 used to predict violence risk in the community ...

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Section: Consensual Sexual Behavior In Prisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Markers for Sexual Predation and Victimization in Prison

2009

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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“…Hensley et al (2002) report about 45% of the women in their sample had participated in some form of homosexual behavior while incarcerated. Precise counts of inmates who participate in homosexual activity are difficult to obtain for several reasons.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One aspect of women's imprisonment that has received scholarly attention consistently is homosexuality (for a comprehensive discussion of the history of lesbians in prison, see Freedman, 1996;Hensley, Tewksbury, & Koscheski, 2002). Studies indicate that few women who participate in same-sex relationships identified themselves as lesbians prior to incarceration; rather, homosexuality in a women's prison is viewed as "a sociological phenomenon and a subcultural adaptation to a specific situation" (Pollock, 2002, p. 133).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As such, most researchers suggest that women inmates for whom lesbian experiences are new will revert to heterosexual relationships upon release (Pollock, 2002;Watterson, 1996). Some studies (e.g., Diaz-Cotto, 1996;Faith, 1993;Hampton, 1993;Hensley et al, 2002;Watterson, 1996) suggest, however, that the issue of sexual identity among women who participate in same-sex relationships may be more complicated than previously assumed. This paper will examine the complex nature of homosexual relationships in women's prisons more fully, drawing from the literature pertaining to imprisoned women's sexuality and inmate accounts concerning their attitudes toward and participation in such behavior.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Prison Lesbian Revisited

Severance

2004

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

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“…Research has shown that certain characteristics increase the likelihood of engaging in sexual behaviour in prison environments. This limited body of research has demonstrated that characteristics such as race, age, sexual orientation, and gender are consistently associated with prison sexual behaviour (Hensley, Tewksbury, and Koscheski 2002; Abiona et al 2009; Hensley 2001; Greer 2000). For instance, in a recent study on risk markers for prison-based sexual violence, researchers indicated that 44 percent of the 288 male prisoners and 46 percent of the 183 female prisoners in their study engaged in consensual sexual activity during incarceration (Warren et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of sexual behaviour among men and women in New York City area prisons

Rowell-Cunsolo

Szeto

Sampong

et al. 2016

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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The USA currently has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Individuals at greatest risk for HIV also tend to be among those at an elevated risk for incarceration. The HIV epidemic is driven by injection drug use and sexual behaviour, and estimates of prison-based sexual behaviour vary widely. This study examined sexual behaviour among 1,369 incarcerated men and women in the New York City area. Approximately 13 percent of the sample (n=176) reported being sexually active while incarcerated over the previous 6 months. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the predictors of prison sexual behaviour. The following variables were associated with increased odds of sexual activity within the previous six months: female gender (OR= 3.28; 95%CI=1.95,5.51), Black race (OR= 2.26; 95%CI=1.47,3.46), history of drug use (OR=1.85; 95% CI=1.04,3.30), bisexual (OR= 3.19; 95%CI=1.90,5.38) or homosexual identity (OR=8.50; 95% CI=3.92,18.43), and conjugal visitation programme participation (OR=66.26; 95%CI=31.42,139.74). Educational programmes regarding sexually transmitted infections and appropriate harm reduction measures are warranted for this population. The expansion of conjugal visitation programmes may also be useful in helping prisoners sustain their relationships with partners from their community and reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission in this environment.

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The Characteristics and Motivations Behind Female Prison Sex

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Risk Markers for Sexual Predation and Victimization in Prison

Risk Markers for Sexual Predation and Victimization in Prison

The Prison Lesbian Revisited

Predictors of sexual behaviour among men and women in New York City area prisons

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