Female sexualities in prison : practices, discourses, representations

Drawing on qualitative data collected during a research carried out in five French prisons and on interviews with male and female convicts, this article questions female sexual practices: is there a female specificity of the sexual practices in prison, and in turn, a specificity in prison of these female practices? Sexual practices in female custodies are described as male prisoners' representations of female convicts' sexuality. Differences between female and male custodies are also investigated through three items: relations with guards of the opposite sex, sexual violence in jail and finally, categorization and ranking amongst prisoners.