Prison guards’ attitudes towards the prevention of sexual contacts between inmates

This article presents the main findings of an innovative Portuguese research
project on prison guards’ attitudes towards the prevention of sexual contacts between
inmates. Sexuality in prisons is still a poorly-studied issue, although its increasing
visibility demands a better understanding of prison dynamics. Results show that guards
hold very favourable attitudes towards the prevention of forced sexual contacts between
inmates, but they are more ambiguous concerning consensual sexuality. This result is
influenced by the characteristics of the inmates under the guards’ supervision and by the
prison guards’ knowledge of the existence of sexual contacts between inmates. The results
will be discussed, along with their impact on the development of training programmes and
policies regarding sexual contacts between inmates