Commission on Sex in Prison Launched

The Howard League for Penal Reform has launched an independent Commission on Sex in Prison. The Commission comprises eminent academics, former prison governors and health experts and will focus on three broad themes:

• consensual sex in prisons 
• coercive sex in prisons 
• healthy sexual development among young people in prison. 

The Commission will undertake the first ever review of sex inside prison where it is unlawful to have sex because prison cells are deemed to be public places. There is currently little reliable evidence available on both consensual and coercive sexual activity in prisons. It is not known to what extent men and women who identify as heterosexual may have sex with other prisoners while in prison. The Commission will also consider coercive sex which could involve rape, harassment, intimidation, assault or bribery.

The League argues that the development of sexual awareness and intimate relationships are an integral part of adolescence and the Commission will consider how relationship patterns formed in adolescence can impact on the rest of a person’s life. The healthy sexual development of adolescents in prison does indeed warrant further investigation and it will be interesting to see what findings the Commission comes to.  Perhaps as interesting - although I suspect far more depressing - will be how the media respond to any story.  Is sex like television - ban it for poor behaviour and a prisoner can make do with a book?  What of - and I hesitate for using the word given it tends to 'blow' the minds of tabloid editors - masturbation.  Whilst we might be less shocked to learn of Kim and Aggie discovering traces of semen splashed around a male cell, the possibility that female prisoners masturbate would no doubt  result in the entire Daily Mail editorial team declaring a nuclear winter and retreating to a bunker decked out with Laura Ashley furniture and a box set of the Waltons.

There is the serious issue of sexual abuse which can occur in these pressurised situations - namely in the form of rape.  As much as we might joke - as I have above- about sex in prisons, there is also a verbs serious and devastating aspect to this area of policy.

The League state that the purpose of the Commission is to understand the nature and the scale of the issues and problems, making a series of recommendations with a view to making prisons safer. It will also examine how the situation in England and Wales differs from other international contexts, looking for best practice.

The Commission on Sex in Prison will undertake primary research (sounds fun), conduct visits (possibly more fun) and hear evidence from experts. It is expected to publish briefings on interim findings and produce a final report at the end of the two year investigation.

In all seriousness, it sounds a terrific project, and I wish them well with it.

The commissioners are: Michael Amherst, Marc Bealls, Frances Crook, Dr Chris Sheffield, Dr Peter Carter, Dr Neil Chakraborti, Baroness Gould, Professor Roger Ingham, Phillippa Kaufmann, Eoin McLennan-Murray, Professor Jo Phoenix, Professor Pamela Taylor, Sue Wade.

The Sexualisation of Youth

The publication of the Bailey Report on the so-called sexualisation of children coincided with me being out of the country, and swamped with work. I may be back in the UK, but I'm still swamped. Let me therefore point you in the direction of an excellent discussion of the issues with the wonderful Petra Boynton - check out her blog here - It's full of all the links you could possibly want. Charlie Brooker has added his ever caustic and wise voice to the debate in today's Guardian; check out that piece here.

Youth Parliament Member Suspended for Being Normal

I've always aimed to avoid merely repeating the usual 'big stories' such as the recent stupid and offensive remarks by the allegedly corrupt, and evidently ignorant Sepp Blatter regarding his advice that gay men attending the World Cup in Qatar should "refrain from sexual activity" (read here). There are countless bloggers and journalists writing about that story and I have little to add. There aren't so many writing about this story that appears on Pink News today and the story has me so annoyed.

The story revolves around Reace Mcdonnell, a 19 year old member of the UK Youth Parliament, and a gay activist who has now been suspended from the UK Youth Parliament. What can bring upon such a move you might ask? Apparently, he has posted a profile on a "porn networking site" - whatever that is. I suspect it's just a networking site such as Gaydar, Fitlads or such like but why let details get in the way of a good story. The Plymouth Herald broke the story and you can read it in full here.

It includes a quote from Cllr Joan Watkins, the city's Cabinet member responsible for children and young people, who said: "If this is true I would view it with great disappointment. We want young people to be involved in democracy and the life of the city but you have to bring certain characteristics to the role."

What are those characteristics Cllr Watkins? Presumably you are a human being (subject to tests), and as such were in probability the product of two people fucking. You, Cllr Watkins owe your existence to sex. Sex is rather crucial to our biological and psychological existence. Amazingly, nineteen year old boys in particular enjoy sex - a lot. It is not uncommon to seek out sexual encounters wherever possible and that may well be through sites such as the networking site Reace was on. He was acting within the "norms" of many 19 year olds. Should he have instead merely restrained his relationships to affairs with a secretary, or perhaps a rent boy in a football outfit? What exactly, are the political standards on which Cllr Watkins' remarks are offensively based? What are the norms of behaviour that she expects?

If we want politics to be attractive to "normal" people, and we want our politicians to be honest, to connect to our lives, don't attempt to knock them out when their testing the water at the age of nineteen.

In any case, Reace himself suggests on his Facebook profile taht the story is untrue anyway, but the willingness of elected officials - what were you thinking Plymouth? - like Cllr Watkins, and the stupidity of members of the public coupled with a media desperate for anything to flog a paper makes for a heady mix of hypocrisy and bile.

This is the same kind of nonsense that means public figures, from nurses and teachers through to civil servants and elected politicians are confronted by a media onslaught for posting sexual images of themselves online or *bloody hell*, having sex! It assumes that a teacher engaged in a sexual encounter with her husband or who posts erotic pictures of him/her self online one day, will inevitably start disciplining their students with a silicone dildo the next.

Reace's Facebook profile reveals a profile of a typical nineteen year old, stressing about hair and clothes, coupled with posting gay-rights related posts. He sounds like a great normal kid - and he does not deserve this. If I was a Plymouth resident, I'd be more worried about this Cllr Watkins. Her council profile reveals she is up for re-election next year and I suspect she couldn't resist this attempt to play to the crowd but I hope sensible folk will give her the push. She is also a Conservative member of the council - surely this isn't an indication that David Cameron's party still has some old fashioned homophobes in its ranks?

In truth, she's probably safe in her seat but I would ask that she follows the advice that Plymouth Conservatives offer to wannabe councillors on their website, and 'learns' about what it is she is commenting on rather than reaching for the nearest populist sound-bite. Cllr Watkins, your constituents deserve better.