Facing The Facts

Posted by Carina Kolodny on April 29th, 2010

Prison officials across the United States may have bitten off more than they can chew with their controversial statement: NO CONDOM DISTRIBUTION IN PRISON. Their logic is simple: sexual activities are technically disallowed for inmates, so distribution of condoms sends out the wrong message.

But this black and white policy leaves little room for reality: inmates DO engage in sexual activities and the rate of HIV among the incarcerated is seven fold to that of the general population.

Chalkboard - Sex

In the past months, Democrats in the United States have been celebrating the passing of their health care reform bill: a triumph after the embittered battle that nearly split the country in two. However, many liberals are not celebrating one detail of the bill: the revival of abstinence-only sex education.

There are three predominant forms of sex education in the United States: comprehensive, abstinence plus and abstinence only. Abstinence only is the most extreme, approaching sex education with the assumption that all young people will abstain until marriage and giving no instruction on safe-sex practices.

Hundreds of statistics, thousands of sex educators and millions of young people can attest that the abstinence assumption has no basis in reality. In fact, students in school districts that adopt abstinence-only sex education are more likely to get pregnant and more likely to get an STD than their peers enrolled in comprehensive sex education. The logic, again, is simple: my teenager should not be having sex and educating them about HOW to have sex sends the wrong message.

While teenagers and prison inmates are quite dissimilar, these two situations are strikingly alike. We have an ideological rule in direct contrast with reality. Prison inmates are having sex. Teenagers are having sex. They’re going to continue having sex whether there is education available or not, whether there are condoms available or not.
So why not make options, education and protection readily available?

What’s your view on this? Is the abstinence only approach outdated and unrealistic? Or do you feel that by talking about sex you are sending out the wrong message?

Drop us a comment…

This post is by our resident blogger Carina Kolodny

Carina Kolodny is a writer and expert coffee shop loiterer based out of NYC. When not writing (or loitering) she can usually be found traveling the world or jumping out of airplanes. She became interested in HIV education while working with the Red Cross in Fiji. This was an enriching though terrifying experience as she hates snakes almost as much as she hates grammar. She counts Fiji, Cuba and Tanzania as second homes and strongly believes in the power of self love and red lipstick.


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10 Comments...
  1. Pepe Haze says:
    April 29, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    People should most definitely be educated about sex but at the same time, the world needs to allow people to learn how to abstain from sex until marriage. Cuz I do believe that’s possible as well… Nwy, about the inmates, mane! That’s a horrible story to hear… Prisons need to up their security PERIOD! If I were in Jail and somebody raped me with a condom, I still won’t be cool wit that!

  2. Peter Durer says:
    April 30, 2010 at 12:35 am

    So glad to see that Carina is back. She won my heart with her first piece about why girls need to carry condoms. I totally agree with this. Having been born and raised in Kentucky I’m the product of abstinence-only education. AND I’m gay and believe me when I tell you that they don’t talk about safe gay sex AT ALL. In the end, it only hurts people. As to Pepe’s comment: not all prison sex is rape. AND many victims pf sexual assault feel that if protection was available, their rapist would have used it. Rape is always a terrible, horrible occurence but rape that gives you HIV has to be even worse.

  3. Martha "Shewolf" Kundwe says:
    April 30, 2010 at 10:19 am

    I totally agree that it is important to educate people about sex and give them options and let them know that THEY have the options because ultimately the choice to have sex is theirs..

  4. Kicesie Drew says:
    April 30, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    I think you most certainly can manage to give comprehensive sex education without sending a ‘wrong message’.
    My goal, every time I talk to young adults is to encourage them to do what their -morality- urges them to do… to go with their -soul’s- desire. I encourage and celebrate with those who wait to have sex. I educate and prod sexually active teens to be responsible with birth control and barrier protection for STD safety. Some MIGHT view this as exactly what they mean as mixed messages.
    HOWEVER, when I ask the young adults I talk to about it, they say, ‘Actually, we just feel like you accept us for who we are and support us’. And that’s exactly what I do, I support them, whether it’s reminding them it’s fine to still be a virgin at 20, or whether it’s supporting them through giving life saving education on STD prevention. THEY seem to get it, whether parents manage to or not (not a single parent in all my years {coming up on 5 years!} has EVER written to me, upset about my communication with their child -knocks on wood-).

    As for inmates, I don’t see how we get off on saying that two consenting adults, even if they are felons, can’t have sex with each other… as long as it’s consenting!!! Let’s get those condoms out to them, quit fighting over that and devote our time in that arena to addressing prisoner sexual assaults. It’s a topic that deserves SO much more attention then bureaucrats pissing and moaning over whether condoms should be given out to the consenting adults in their inmate populations…. no?

  5. Pepe Haze says:
    May 1, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    Hmmm I still stand by the better security option cuz distributing condoms is not a solution at all regarding rape cases. If anything that could possibly increase the number of rape cases (in my opinion). As for the gay people in jail… Honestly, I don’t support the idea of homosexuality. I understand that we’re all different and pardon my ignorance in advance but seriously can one be happy and gay at the same time?

  6. Carina Kolodny says:
    May 1, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    Hey Pepe,

    Thanks for your comments! I just wanted to respond to one thing you said, OF COURSE PEOPLE CAN BE HAPPY AND GAY AT THE SAME TIME. Happiness has nothing to do with sexuality and everything to do with leading a positive, fulfilling, adventurous life!

  7. Strangely Sane says:
    May 2, 2010 at 10:26 am

    It’s a no-brainer, surely? HIV is seven-fold that of the general population. Inmates WILL have sex in prison either consentually or through rape. The bulk of inmates WILL be released into general population at some point. These people WILL continue to have sex and many of them will be HIV positive. Therefore the distribution of condoms in prison will help combat the spread of HIV outside of prison.

  8. Jayne says:
    May 4, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    I thnk zambia is facing the same dilemma. We’re a ”Christian Nation”, and christianity doesnt allow sex before marriage.
    I’ve personally been attacked by people and called immoral for advocating condom use. And the idea of homosexuality is almost a taboo subject. Prisoners having sex amongst themselves is really not even mentioned in zambia.
    But the reality is people are having sex before and outside marriage, so the ”Abstinance” campaign alone doesnt really work.
    Young people need the correct information and tools to make informed decisions.

  9. Nina says:
    May 4, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    First of all, it is great to see someone pointing out public health issues, such as HIV, in correctional settings: jails, prisons, juvenile residential centers, immigrant detention centers, etc. Secondly, the comments from people touting the benefits of condoms, as well as the right to sex regardless of the gender of your partner, are also welcomed. But, I want to refocus attention to (what I thought was) the main point in this blog – the right to condoms in correctional facilities. (The good news is that in the U.S., condoms are available in Vermont, Mississippi, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Philadelphia. San Francisco is actively evaluating their condom distribution program.) Please remember to take into consideration that the role of correctional officers is safety first, not necessarily public health, and we have to learn to work together on this.

    I also want to make clear any messages of HIV transmission in correctional facilities:

    Carina states correctly that inmates in correctional settings bear a greater proportion of HIV infections than can be found in the general community. However, I want to iterate it is not necessarily true that these infections occur within the period of detainment. People enter the criminal justice system for reasons that are also placing them at risk for HIV: illicit substance use, transactional sex for money or drugs, or the abuse of alcohol (teens who binge drink – this means you!). Transmission of HIV in correctional settings can happen – but it is very rare. Instead what you see is that people come into the criminal justice system already infected, but never been tested until they are being booked. So to the outside world, it generally appears that they get infected inside the walls, when this is not the case.

    I am not arguing against the provision in condoms in these settings, but in the absence of condoms (and political will), confidential HIV testing and counseling upon entry and exit is essential, given that most HIV cases are already infected when going through the system. Of course, anything we can do for purposes of risk-reduction (behavioral counseling, housing or other social support –to stem transactional sex) is a welcome intervention, including condom distribution.

    The worst thing to do would be to pretend that what happens in the system does not affect us. People come into corrections, and most come out.

  10. Manicx. says:
    May 6, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    I like the diversity of thoughts from the rest of ma brothers.We can’t understand it all but lets take what is revealed to us through the word of God. Sex is a gift from God and we need to enjoy it provided both of you are in agreement.For the sake of peace and confidence its good to do it after marriage.

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