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310 11 Corrections and Prison Practices—Civic Forensics

in the context of inmates who are incarcerated in unisex prisons, people's dis-

comfort levels seem to increase even further. This subject calls to mind the idea

of gang rape, forced sexual interactions, and especially homosexuality. Despite the

societal progress made in being able to openly discuss and understand homosex-

uality, it is still a subject that causes a great deal of concern and emotional reac-

tion. Inmate homosexuality is not immune from this controversy. In fact, there

are considerably more dilemmas found with same sex partnerships in prison. One

controversy is the definition of homosexuality within a prison. This is an issue

because many inmates who engage in homosexual behaviors while incarcerated

are not homosexuals outside of prison (G. T. Long, 1993). This section discusses

various aspects of inmate sexuality in order to provide a better understanding of

this phenomenon.

Sam was a 21-year-old first-time offender sentenced to a state prison where he knew

no one. He was very lonely and depressed and was quickly befriended by Bud, who

had been in the prison for several years and knew how the system worked. Bud took

Sam under his wing and introduced him to prison life, including the inmate marriages

between the "jockers" and the "punks." Bud stressed how normal an activity this was in

prisons because he hoped to turn Sam into his punk. Once Bud had courted Sam for

several weeks, he finalized the relationship by having Sam transferred to his cell where

he could sodomize him away from the guards' view. (Huffman, as cited in G. T. Long,

1993)

Charles was in his cell one morning when a large man entered asking to borrow

something that belonged to his cellmate. The inmate asked Charles if he engaged in

homosexual acts, and Charles emphatically stated no. The inmate threatened physical

injury if Charles would not have sex with him. When Charles attempted to defend

himself, three other inmates entered the cell and hit and kicked Charles until he fell

down. They then ripped off his pants and each one sodomized Charles while the others

restrained him. (Davis, as cited in G. T. Long, 1993)

Literature Review

The above case illustrations are very different, yet both situations exist in prisons
as ways to engage in sexual behaviors and exert resistance to prison rules and
regulations (Donaldson, 1990). In response to allegations of homosexuality, the
perpetrators in these case illustrations would most likely deny that they are gay
and might attack a fellow inmate who "accused" them of such. Donaldson states
that the inmate subculture allows prisoners to be in the penetrating role without
raising questions about their heterosexuality. Yet, one who submits to penetration
is perceived as giving up his masculinity. Donaldson reports that the majority of
prisoners engage in the former role and are called "jockers" or "men." The jockers
engage in heterosexual behaviors both before and after their period of incarceration.
A jocker's penetration of another prisoner only serves to validate his masculinity. It
also serves to give the jocker some power by having control over other prisoners
and thus diminishing the power the institution has over him.