Sexual Health and Attitudes of Australian Prisoners
Primary Research Stream
Other
Full Project Title
Sexual Health and Attitudes of Australian Prisoners
Project Period
2005-2008
Rationale / Background
Prisoners are a high-risk group for sexual ill health. This has consequences for the wider community. Prisoners are largely drawn from the most disadvantaged and stigmatised groups in the community. Most come from low socio-economic status, low education and low income backgrounds, many suffer from minor intellectual disabilities, many have a mental illness or a history of injecting drug use and a disproportionate number are indigenous. Before this study we knew that 40% of female prisoners and 24% of male prisoners in New South Wales (NSW) reported that they have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) at some time in the past, including gonorrhoea, genital warts, syphilis, chlamydia and herpes. Over half of the female inmates surveyed during the 2001 NSW Inmate Health Survey were positive for Herpes simplex virus type-2.
With prisoners excluded from all national health surveys it is important that information be collected from this group on sexual health to ensure they are not a forgotten population.
Aim and Objectives
- Describe the sexual health, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Australian prisoners using the ASHR questionnaire.
- Explore factors associated with sexual practices in jail.
- Examine the impact of condom availability on sexual behaviour in prison by comparing one state with (NSW) and one state without (QLD) a policy of distributing condoms.
Method and Study Design
Cross-sectional survey: This involved random selection of a representative sample of over 2300 prisoners from QLD and NSW. These two states house approximately 60% of the total Australian prisoner population.
The survey was administered by a computer-assisted telephone interview system similar to that used in the Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR), a national representative telephone survey (Smith et al., 2003). The interviews lasted between 20 and 60 minutes depending on prisoner responses and were conducted by trained interviewers.
A smaller non-random sample of prisoners and ex-prisoners took part in an hour-long open-ended recorded interview to explore issues around sex in jail in more depth.
Key Findings
NSW Report Summary
Publications and Resources
Schneider, K., Richters, J., Butler, T., Yap, L., Richards, A., Grant, L., Smith, A., & Donovan, B. Psychological distress and sexual and physical assault among Australian prisoners. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. Accepted 11 April 2011.
Yap, L., Richters, J., Butler, T., Schneider, K., Kirkwood, K., Grant, L., & Donovan, B. (2011). The decline in sexual assaults in men’s prisons in New South Wales: A ‘systems’ approach. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26, 3157–3181.
Malacova, E., Butler, T., Richters, J., Yap, L., Grant, L., Richards, A., Smith, A. M. A., & Donovan, B. (2011). Attitudes towards sex: A comparison of prisoners and the general community. Sexual Health, 8, 355–362.
Malacova, E., Butler, T., Richters, J., Yap, L., Grant, L., Richards, A., Smith, A. M. A., & Donovan, B. (2011). Knowledge of sexually transmissible infections: A comparison of prisoners and the general population. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 22, 381–386.
Butler, T., Richters, J., Yap, L., Papanastasiou, C., Richards, A., Schneider, K., Grant, L., Smith, A., & Donovan, B. (2010). Sexual health and behaviour of Queensland prisoners: With Queensland and New South Wales comparisons. Perth: National Drug Research Institute, and Sydney: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales - Download Report [PDF - 1.2 mb]
Richters, J., Butler, T., Schneider, K., Yap, L., Kirkwood, K., Grant, L., Richards, A., Smith, A., & Donovan, B. (2010). Consensual sex between men and sexual violence in Australian prisons. Archives of Sexual Behavior, Online First, 2 September.
Yap, L., Richters, J., Butler, T., Schneider, K., Kirkwood, K., & Donovan, B. (2010). Sexual practices and dental dam use among women prisoners. Sexual Health, 7, 170–176.
Richters, J., Butler, T., Yap, L., Kirkwood, K., Grant,L., Smith, A. M. A., Schneider, K., & Donovan, B.(2008). Sexual health and behaviour of New South Wales prisoners. Sydney: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales - Download Report: [PDF - 3.5 mb]
Yap L, Butler T, Richters J, Kirkwood K, Grant L, Saxby M, Ropp F. Donovan B. Do condoms cause rape and mayhem? The long-term effects of condoms in New South Wales prisons. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2007; 83: 219-222.
Funding
This project was funded by NHMRC Project Grant 350860 with additional funding from NSW Health, NSW Justice Health, the Queensland Department of Corrective Services and the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales.