MIXED GENDER IN A STATE PRISON

Mixed Gender in a State Prison

Mixed Gender in a State Prison

Co-correctional facilities house women and men in the same institution under the direction of one administration. Some allow a significant amount of interaction between the sexes, while others have no direct interaction between female and male inmates at all. These prisons are also sometimes referred to as coed institutions(Haslanger, 2000).

In the modern era, co-correctional facilities do not have the same problems of the sexually integrated prisons over a century ago. Instead, prisoners enjoy an environment that is more comparable to that of society outside the prison than is evident in same-sex institutions. Being able to interact with members of the opposite gender on a daily basis is thought to reduce disruptive and predatory homosexual activity, lessen violence between prisoners, and promote a better self-image of the inmates(Haslanger, 2000).

Co-correctional institutions generally try to facilitate cross-gender relationships, to assist with rehabilitation and effective reintegration into the community outside prison for offenders. Supporters of this approach to prison management claim that these facilities improve access to programs for all offenders, particularly women, who often receive less educational and vocational training than men.

Problems With Co-Correctional Facilities

Even though supporters of coed prisons believe that women would be afforded more opportunities by being housed with male inmates, co-correctional programs have also been criticized for relegating the small numbers of women within them to a subordinate position. For example, the availability of recreational, vocational, medical, and educational programs for women in co-correctional facilities is often deficient because most correctional institutions are designed for men, not women. When women are introduced into a prison that had housed only men, adjustments have to be made to address their needs. Women cannot merely be added to a male prison environment without appropriate adjustments in the delivery ...