An Examination of Female Inmates\u27 Homosexual Behavior in a Southern Correctional Facility

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Mary Koscheski on May12, 2001

The Characteristics and Motivations Behind Female Prison Sex

Research on the topic of consensual same-sex sexual activities within female prisons has been sparse in sociological and correctional literature. The purpose of the present study was to examine the characteristics and motivations which affect a female inmate’s decision to engage in same-sex sexual activity. The most significant and salient variables associated with the same-sex sexual activity among female inmates were age and amount of time served. Younger inmates and those who had served longer periods of time incarcerated were identified as more likely than older inmates and women who have served shorter periods of time to engage in homosexual activity. Race and religion also had a significant effect on selected same-sex sexual behavior in the female correctional facility. The present study finds equal, but limited support for both the deprivation and importation models

Does Participation in Conjugal Visitations Reduce Prison Violence in Mississippi?

Few studies have examined the relationship between participation in conjugal visitation programs and threats of or actual violent behavior in correctional facilities. In the present study, 256 men and women incarcerated in two Mississippi prisons completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning institutional violence and participation in the conjugal visitation program. Using multiple regression analyses, this study was intended to determine whether conjugal visits reduce threats of and actual incidents of violent behavior in prison. Although a relationship was not uncovered between participation in conjugal visitation programs and the threat of or actual commission of violence, the study did reveal that inmates who had committed index crimes were more likely to commit violence against another inmate than inmates who had committed non-index crimes

Masturbation Uncovered: Autoeroticism in a Female Prison

The topic of male and female masturbation both in free society and in prison has received very little academic attention. In fact, no study has been conducted on female masturbatory practices in correctional facilities. The present study examined the amount and frequency of masturbation in a Southern female prison. In addition, the authors uncovered predictor variables associated with female masturbation in prison. The most salient variable associated with female inmate masturbation was homosexual behavior (partnering with another female inmate) while incarcerated. Factors such as age and religious affiliation (which have consistently been found to have a significant relationship with masturbation in free society studies) did not have an effect on female masturbation in prison