NCJ Number
87391
Date Published
1977
Length
438 pages
Annotation
The study seeks to ascertain if lower class black women who have in-prison lesbian experience have this as their first homosexual relationship or if they have had these kinds of sexual encounters before.
Abstract
The study also attempts to construct an index to predict which of the inmates might or might not engage in homosexual activity while in prison. Systematic study in several New York City ghetto communities revealed many of the factors which predisposed a woman to this activity. These then were matched against a sample of 57 black respondents in a prison referred to in the dissertation as The Kokely Institution for Women. Thirty-two inmates in the sample had had previous homosexual experience, 4 had begun lesbian activity during incarceration, and 21 denied ever having engaged in the practice anywhere. An index, using sociological indicators for high homosexual potential, was constructed. This instrument was capable of identifying 34 of the 36 homosexual inmates but was less successful in identifying the 21 nonhomosexual prisoners. Footnotes, study data, and references are provided. (Author summary modified)