Sexual Behaviors and Desires of Inmates in a Finnish Prison: A Survey Study With Population-Based Comparisons

• Author: Annika Gunst,Irmeli Ryömä,Madeleine Andersson,Mari Laine,Patrick Jern
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00328855221139867
• Published date: 01 January 2023
• Date: 01 January 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Sexual Behaviors and

Desires of Inmates in a

Finnish Prison: A Survey

Study With Population-

Based Comparisons

Annika Gunst

1

, Irmeli Ryömä

2

,

Madeleine Andersson

1

,

Mari Laine

2

, and Patrick Jern

1

Abstract

Using paper surveys, we investigated sexual behaviors and desires of 181

inmates in a Finnish prison. Conjugal visits, sexual desire, and gender were

the strongest predictors of sexual activity. Reports of coercive experiences

were somewhat less prevalent than reported in international studies.

Compared with population-based data, inmates reported fewer partnered

behaviors, although their desires for these activities were similar. The mas-

turbation frequency did not differ between the two populations; men gener-

ally masturbated more than they desired. Male prisoners who reported

more masturbation also reported lower well-being. These results can be

used to guide prisoners and staff on topics relevant to prisoner sexuality.

Keywords

prison, inmate, sexual behaviors, sexual desire, sexual health

1

Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

2

University of Turku, Turku, Finland

Corresponding Author:

Annika Gunst, Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2,

20500 Turku, Finland.

Email: agunst@abo.f‌i

Article

The Prison Journal

2023, Vol. 103(1) 91–121

© 2022 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855221139867

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

Introduction

Imprisonment has a major impact on a person’slife.Accordingtothe

Finnish Imprisonment Act ([2005/767], 2005), the intent of imprisonment

is the deprivation of liberty or the restriction thereof. The implementation

of incarceration should not impose any restriction on the rights or condi-

tions of the prisoner other than those provided for by the law or which

may result from the sentence itself. In other words, the prison condition

should resemble societal living conditions as much as possible, and

inmates should be able to lead as normal a life as possible while serving

a sentence (i.e., the principle of normality; Hartoneva, 2013). Sexual

rights are grounded in universal human rights and are not limited by the

Imprisonment Act (World Association for Sexual Health, 2014), which

means that prisoners have the same sexual rights as people outside of

prison and the right to safe ways of living out sexuality in prison.

However, as with many other areas of life, sexuality is affected by incarcer-

ation, and many experience diff‌iculties in having a satisfying sex life while

incarcerated (Carcedo et al., 2014; Lassila, 2017).

There are many aspects that complicate the maintenance of a satisfying sex

life. Some that might affect sexuality in prison include the facility’s security

level, staff attitudes, and the possibility of meeting partners (Hartoneva,

2013). Privacy is not always guaranteed, as some inmates share cells, and

prison staff can enter a cell at any time. The availability of preferred partners

is also limited. Sexual rights also include being free from coercion, sexual

assault, harassment, rape, and other actions that violate a person’s right to

decide over their body and sexuality. However, studies indicate that sexual

coercion does indeed occur inside prisons.

A Neglected Area of Research

The scientif‌ic literature on prisoner sexuality is sparse, and many of the

studies are outdated. Most of the available literature has focused on sexual

coercion and sexual violence (Hensley, Tewksbury, & Castle, 2003;

Struckman-Johnson & Struckman-Johnson, 2006; Wolff, Blitz, Shi,

Bachman & Siegel, 2006). Correctional facility sexual coercion has received

more research attention compared to consensual sex because it is viewed as a

constitutional and facility management problem. There are, however, a few

studies that have explored noncoercive aspects of prisoners’sexual desires

and needs. For instance, studies conducted in a Spanish prison found a rela-

tionship between sexual satisfaction and psychological health (Carcedo et al.,

2008; Carcedo et al., 2014), indicating the importance of sexual fulf‌illment for

92 The Prison Journal 103(1)