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Discuss the plight of offenders in the prison system as victims within a correctional context (25 marks)
1. Introduction
The most vulnerable individuals whom are most vulnerable and experience unique problems in the
correctional setting are female prisoners, male inmates, older inmates and juvenile prisoners. It has
proven quite problematic ensuring that the latter mentioned detained prisoners are neither victimised
nor exploited.
2. Definition of Key Concepts
Prisoner - a person who is deprived of liberty against his or her will. This can be by confinement,
captivity, or by forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to those on trial or serving a prison
sentence in a prison.
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,3. Female Prisoners
Sexual abuse of female prisoners can be operated by factors such as allowing unsupervised access of
male staff to female facilities, insufficient disciplinary action against guards who engage in sexual
misconducted, and allowing practices that are inherently cruel and degrading and are open to abuse,
for example, allowing male staff to conduct carnal “searches” of clothed female prisoners. Such issues
can be alleviated by ensuring that female prisoners are supervised only by female staff
Mothers in prisons also pose issues as their incarceration is more likely to result in a serious family
disruption to the family. In addition, the constant conflict, guilt and frustration due to the separation
from their family and being unable to care for their children adds to the strain of their imprisonment
Due to female prisons being smaller, there is less economic justification for a wide variety of
programmes found in male prisons. Access to services such as treatment, training, recreation,
vocational and educational programmes, is more limited to female prisons; this is due to the fact that
these prisons have limited space and the number of female prisoners is felt to be too small to warrant
the additional cost programmes and facilities
4. Male inmates
Certain prisoners are targeted for sexual assault the moment they enter prison; their age appearance,
sexual orientation, and other characteristics such as small size physical weakness, shyness and
uncertainty mark them as candidates for sexual abuse by inmates.
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4.1. Prison male rape
For a heterosexual, male rape is the most fearful event, in relation the witnessing or experience
thereof, especially if it is their first confrontation with same sex contact. As a heterosexual male victim
can respond physically to stimulation, such as getting an erection and/or ejaculate during the sexual
act, this will result in the male victim perceiving himself as homosexual or bisexual due to his
physiological sexual response; in essence, he will question his own sexual identity and manhood
Objects can be used and forced oral sex is also prevalent. Victims are often manipulated into
exchanging their bodies for favours and privileges. Some prisoners will form “protective” sexual
partnerships to avoid continual victimisation. To escape being abused by many, they choose one
partner who might protect them from abuse by others. The motivation to exchange sex for protection
often includes fear and stems from coercion.
4.2. The creation of “women (wyfies)”
“Women” or “wyfies” are created by destroying men’s claim to “manhood”. “Women” are primarily
seen as the sexual property and servants of “men” and are often forcibly taken as wyfies by other
inmates in relationships known as “marriages”. Wyfies are not worth very much as they are regarded
and treated as sex objects and domestic workers. Prison “marriages” between “men” (husbands) and
“women” (wyfies) are usually brought about by an initial forced sexual act.
In prison marriage relationships “men” are active; they do “business” in prison and provide for their
wyfies materially. They are responsible for the penetration while having sex, while the “women” have
to be passive. Wyfies are required to take care of the “home” space (prison cell) and to be sexually
available to their partners. Some prisoners consider rape as a form of fun, while in other cases
initiation rape also serves a social purpose to create classes of men, such as, a class of subordinate
men (wyfies). Once a prisoner is raped, his reputation as a man who has been penetrated is likely to
precede him, making him more vulnerable to further assault; male rape survivors in prison question
their masculinity
5. The Older Inmate
As the general prison population continues to increase, the percentage of elderly inmates will rise at
a considerably higher level. The increase may change society’s perception of the prison population
and will necessitate a radical overhaul in prison administration. Older inmates pose unique and costly
problems for prisons already struggling to manage outdated, overcrowded and under-funded prisons.
Correctional systems are already forced to consider issues for the first time relating to geriatric carte,
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