~ TRIGGER WARNING ~ A blunt sexual discussion follows...

Sex - Inside All-Male Prisons

"Many men have a difficult time sharing their emotions. It can become overwhelming inside a Prison where feelings can be considered a weakness. Kindness, empathy, sympathy, decency, humanity, and affection become deeply buried and hidden from others. These powerful feelings are forgotten, abandoned, and held without value. The first step of my teaching methods is to have my students find and embrace those hidden emotions within themselves."

~ Doctor D

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Pretend you are incarcerated inside an all-male state prison for ten years. You are a young, healthy male with a normal sex drive.

What are your options for sexual fulfillment over the next ten years? Let's discuss these options.

1) Abstinence and Celibacy

Some prisoners will say they practice abstinence or celibacy during their prison stay. Abstinence is defined as "The decision not to have sexual intercourse."

This means different things to different people.

Some people view abstinence as refraining from any sexual activity. While others might engage in outercourse, avoiding any sexual penetration.

Celibacy is defined as "a decision to abstain from sexual activity for religious reasons." Someone who has taken a vow of celibacy is practicing abstinence."

Many married prisoners will take a vow of celibacy until they return home to their spouses or girlfriends.

Could you refrain from any sex for ten long years?

2) Masturbation

The definition of masturbation is "manipulating one's own genitals to achieve an orgasm." Masturbation is rampant inside prisons. This is a common-sense-social statement... it is all too common to accidentally- walk in on felons while they are masturbating.

The prisoners share a common restroom and shower. Privacy is at a premium within prisons. So are pornographic materials. Pornography is valuable in the prison black market.

3) Homosexual

Homosexuality is defined as "sex between two persons of the same gender." In this example, it would be sex between two male inmates.

This is an area that is confusing to outside observers. Let me try to explain further. Many felons have told me, "I'm not gay. I have a girlfriend (or wife) back home. I only have sex with men when I am in prison."

What the...?

It sounds to me like a bi-sexual. However, this attitude is more prevalent than most folks think. I have heard this same justification used by sailors in the Navy who are at sea for extended lengths of time.

Incarcerated youths have told me the identical thing. In their minds, "It doesn't count, and they are not 'really' gay."

Sounds very confusing. That is because it is confusing, especially for these young men.

4) Transexual

A transexual is defined as "someone whose bodily characteristics have been altered through surgery or hormone treatment to align them with their gender identity."

In this instance, we are referring to a male who identifies as female or is in the process of transitioning into a female. There are several stories concerning trans-sex that I want to include in this story, Different Prisons.

The most interesting story is about a prisoner named Paul. Paul transitioned inside prison from a man into a woman, becoming Polly.

Polly's story is worth sharing.

5) Heterosexual

Heterosexual refers to "sex between two people of opposite genders."

In this example, we are referring to a male inmate having sex with a female. This is every felon's wet dream. To have sex with a real-life female while imprisoned. The odds of being struck by lightning are better than this occurring.

For this to happen, a female staff member or volunteer would need to risk a prison sentence for themselves to become lovers with a felon. Although this has happened in the past, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.

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Ohio operates twenty-seven state prisons administered by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Three privately run prisons and three youth correctional facilities are also located in Ohio.

Ohio has the sixth-largest prison system in the United States.

Ohio does not allow conjugal visits. Conjugal visits are defined as "a visit to a prisoner by the spouse of the prisoner, especially for sexual relations."

The state of Ohio does not offer conjugal visits. (In my opinion) This is a significant mistake. ODRC has 12K plus active duty personnel, over 8K volunteers, and a budget of 1.8 billion dollars.

Yet, no one will consider this issue?

Based strictly upon my anecdotal observations, these visits would help with prison rape, sexual harassment, and a multitude of other sex-related problems. I support anything that would allow these men to blow off some steam.

Next episode - Polly's story...

END