Female inmates' perspectives toward consensual same-sex sexual relationships in an Israeli prison

Abstract

Consensual same-sex sexual relationships in female prisons have long been of interest to researchers, and most of the research in the subject has been conducted in US prisons. This study aims to continue this course of research in a female prison in Israel, where same-sex sexual relationships among female inmates have so far been overlooked. Particularly, the study aims to examine female inmates' attitudes toward same-sex sexual relations in prison and their motivations to engage in such relationships. The findings of this study reveal that: (1) Israeli female inmates perceive consensual same-sex sexual relationships in prison as a frequent phenomenon. (2) Although the inmates claim that consensual same-sex sexual relations are frequent in prison, most of them express negative attitudes toward these relationships. (3) Consensual same-sex sexual relationships of inmates who serve short-term sentences are perceived by their peers as based on economic exploitation; in contrast, consensual sexual relationships of long-term inmates are deemed to be based on love and companionship. Implications of these findings are discussed.