Masturbating Verboten in prison?

[micheleFFS]

I manage a forum on Female Superiority. A recent poster asserted that it's against the rules to masturbate in prison (http://www.voy.com/242785/540.html).

Sounds fishy to me. Seems guards have enough to do with actual misdeeds they must and perhaps can control like fights, rape, stealing, stabbings, escape attempts, murder, etc.

Since it's not worth getting locked up to find out, I'll stay home and wank when Mistress allows it, and ask here if anyone knows anything factual about this.

Facts?

It's interesting to note that Jimi Hendrix was (ahem) discharged from the Army for masturbating on duty, among numerous recalcitrances. http://s31.photobucket.com/user/geezhou ... c.jpg.html

micheleFFS

[Azureballs]

Its true, I worked in a prison as a nursing assistant for a while. Masturbation and sexual activity, even if consensual is forbidden. In the prison I worked in even consensual sex between inmates was considered rape. If I remember correctly inmates couldn't have their hands under their covers while laying in bed.

[Ms. Julie]

Wow that is insane so I had to research it a bit out of interest. The rules vary depending on the state. In California, masturbation is allowed if done discreetly, i.e. not as exhibitionism. While in many other states it is technically not allowed. However, according to this Slate article - http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... bate_.html

In practice, inmates are seldom sanctioned, so long as they touch themselves discreetly

More from the article:

Masturbation is one amenity that is hard to take away. The few studies of prison masturbation that exist suggest it is a common behavior, despite restrictions on its performance. A 2001 survey of 142 male inmates in a Southern maximum-security prison found that all but one of them, or 99.3 percent, said they had masturbated while incarcerated. A study of female inmates the same year found a rate of 66.5 percent. Among men, well-educated prisoners were more likely to be frequent masturbators. In both men and women, prisoners who were sexually active behind bars were more likely to touch themselves on a regular basis.

Like so many silly laws we have in the US it is not enforced in practice accept as a form of selective punishment. I 'think' it was Macheavelli that made some comment about having laws that everyone breaks all the time so you can target whoever you want, whenever you want under the pretense of 'enforcing the law'. A rule against masturbation is a rule that is almost guaranteed to be broken by almost everyone (men anyways) all the time.

Other fun facts. The US has the highest incarceration rate on the planet (land of the free?). 1 in 100 people go to prison. "While the United States represents about 4.4 percent of the world's population, it houses around 22 percent of the world's prisoners" - wikipedia

Wikipedia also says that in a single year of an official study, approximately 4% of prison inmates were raped. Many advocates complained this number is a gross under-estimate.

[andy wood]

I never plan on going to prison. But along with everything else that I imagine would be horrible about prison life, living under "no masturbation, ever" rules for several years would add an extra layer of totally unnecessary extra cruelty.

A rule against masturbation is a rule that is almost guaranteed to be broken by almost everyone (men anyways) all the time.

When I first read that, I thought "Yes, passing a rule against masturbation will not stop masturbation". But then again, "where there's a will, there's a way" may be true for both horny prisoners and for tyrannical prison officials.

Its true, I worked in a prison as a nursing assistant for a while. Masturbation and sexual activity, even if consensual is forbidden. In the prison I worked in even consensual sex between inmates was considered rape. If I remember correctly inmates couldn't have their hands under their covers while laying in bed.

Living under that kind of micromanagement ["inmates couldn't have their hands under their covers while laying in bed"] would be super-annoying torment, even aside from the lack of sexual play. What if you have to do something nonsexual, like scratch an itch, or adjust your underwear? As for that rule that "even consensual sex between inmates was considered rape", that makes a bit more sense. In concept, consensual sex should be allowed. But in practice, a prisoner the size of Woody Allen who is locked up with several tough guys might tell the guards "um... yeah.... it was consensual" because he was afraid of the beatings he would get if he did not say that.

It's interesting to note that Jimi Hendrix was (ahem) discharged from the Army for masturbating on duty, among numerous recalcitrances.

In my early 20's, after I got my bachelor's degree and before I went to grad. school, I was considering various career options. One of those was military service. I finally decided not to enlist, because I thought "If I do this, I will be surrounded by men and I will have no privacy." I wonder how often that Jimi Hendrix "disallowed masturbation during military service" scenario actually happens.

The rules vary depending on the state. In California, masturbation is allowed if done discreetly, i.e. not as exhibitionism. While in many other states it is technically not allowed. However, according to this Slate article - http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... bate_.html
In practice, inmates are seldom sanctioned, so long as they touch themselves discreetly
More from the article:
Masturbation is one amenity that is hard to take away. The few studies of prison masturbation that exist suggest it is a common behavior, despite restrictions on its performance. A 2001 survey of 142 male inmates in a Southern maximum-security prison found that all but one of them, or 99.3 percent, said they had masturbated while incarcerated. A study of female inmates the same year found a rate of 66.5 percent. Among men, well-educated prisoners were more likely to be frequent masturbators. In both men and women, prisoners who were sexually active behind bars were more likely to touch themselves on a regular basis.
Like so many silly laws we have in the US it is not enforced in practice accept as a form of selective punishment. I 'think' it was Macheavelli that made some comment about having laws that everyone breaks all the time so you can target whoever you want, whenever you want under the pretense of 'enforcing the law'.

Fair prison rules might include "discreet masturbation is allowed, but exhibitionism is not allowed". But in some cases, prison officials may be following the Machiavelli playbook, and may intend certain rules purely as excuses for selective enforcement.

The bottom line is that anti-masturbation policies may vary from state to state, and from prison to prison... and I never want to personally experience any of them.

[micheleFFS]

Well! This sparked quite the discussion. Very informative for me. Special thanks to Azureballs and to Ms Julie for their experience and research.

Once one starts down the control freak path, it's difficult to know when to stop.

Ms Julie, if Mistress Livia Godiva didn't already control my sexual activity, you are the type of woman I'd be happy to submit to.

Your obedient servant,

micheleFFS