Sexual behaviour and well being of Australian prisoners
Prisoners are at risk for sexual ill health. On average they start having sex at an earlier age than other people, have more sexual partners and more unprotected sex, and are more likely to have done sex work. They are also an under-serviced and under-researched group. We used a computer-assisted telephone interview based on the Australian Study of Health and Relationships to survey a random sample of 2,351 men and women in prison in New South Wales and Queensland in 2006–2008.
Inmates were ineligible if they could not speak English, were intellectually disabled, seriously mentally ill, unavailable (e.g. due to a court appearance), or could not safely be moved to the telephone location. The response rate was 83% in NSW and 75% in Queensland.
Most men (96%) in prison identified as heterosexual and reported attraction (91%) and sexual experience (87%) only with females. Many women in prison (29%) identified as bisexual and 8% as lesbian. Prisoners reported more lifetime opposite-sex partners than people in the community (median men 24 v. 6; women 10 v. 3). More than a third of men in prison (36%) had ever paid for sex, as had 3% of women; 8% of men and 24% of women had ever been paid for sex.
Prisoners were more likely than Australians in general to have had an STI, but their knowledge levels about STIs were as good as other people’s. Female prisoners were more likely than other Australians to disapprove of abortion, but they were more likely to have had one. Rates of sexual difficulties were high among both male and female prisoners. High proportions (13% men and 59% women) had a history of sexual coercion.
Prisoners as a group are vulnerable to sexual ill health when outside jail because of low income, low education, inadequate housing and, for some, chaotic lives and drug use. Surveys of prisoners are a unique opportunity to research a disadvantaged group who are usually omitted from household surveys. Prison is also a setting for provision of sexual health care that many do not receive when outside prison.
With thanks to the SHAAP team for 2005–2008 and later: Tony Butler, Basil Donovan, Luke Grant, Tony Falconer, Alun Richards, Lorraine Yap, Kristie Kirkwood, Karen Schneider and Eva Malacova.
