{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1023"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1023","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"A penological approach to the social construct of sexuality","abstract":"Prison sex research has generally followed an essentialist theoretical approach. Only Alarid (2000) examined jail sex using a social constructionist approach to understanding sexuality behind bars. Using data collected from 142 male inmates in a Southern maximumsecurity correctional facility, the purpose of the present study was to examine whether engaging in sexual behavior affects a change in the sexual orientation of male prison inmates, using a social constructionist theoretical approach. In addition, the influence of several sociodemographic and situational variables on the change in sexual orientation was examined. The only statistically significant variable associated with a change in sexual orientation was engaging in homosexual behavior. Inmates were over 52 times more likely to change their sexual orientation if they engaged in homosexual activity while incarcerated, supporting the social constructionist theoretical approach.","abstract_html":"Prison sex research has generally followed an essentialist theoretical approach. Only Alarid (2000) examined jail sex using a social constructionist approach to understanding sexuality behind bars. Using data collected from 142 male inmates in a Southern maximumsecurity correctional facility, the purpose of the present study was to examine whether engaging in sexual behavior affects a change in the sexual orientation of male prison inmates, using a social constructionist theoretical approach. In addition, the influence of several sociodemographic and situational variables on the change in sexual orientation was examined. The only statistically significant variable associated with a change in sexual orientation was engaging in homosexual behavior. Inmates were over 52 times more likely to change their sexual orientation if they engaged in homosexual activity while incarcerated, supporting the social constructionist theoretical approach.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gibson, Lauren Elizabeth"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Hensley, Christopher L.","Eigenberg, Helen; Love, Sharon Redhawk","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:02Z","subjects":["Homosexuality","Prisoners -- Sexual behavior","Social constructionism"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/23","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Hensley, Christopher L.","Eigenberg, Helen; Love, Sharon Redhawk","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gibson, Lauren Elizabeth"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:coverage","label":"Dc Coverage","values":["Southern States"]},{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2011-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Homosexuality","Prisoners -- Sexual behavior","Social constructionism"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/23"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prison sex research has generally followed an essentialist theoretical approach. Only Alarid (2000) examined jail sex using a social constructionist approach to understanding sexuality behind bars. Using data collected from 142 male inmates in a Southern maximumsecurity correctional facility, the purpose of the present study was to examine whether engaging in sexual behavior affects a change in the sexual orientation of male prison inmates, using a social constructionist theoretical approach. In addition, the influence of several sociodemographic and situational variables on the change in sexual orientation was examined. The only statistically significant variable associated with a change in sexual orientation was engaging in homosexual behavior. Inmates were over 52 times more likely to change their sexual orientation if they engaged in homosexual activity while incarcerated, supporting the social constructionist theoretical approach."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A penological approach to the social construct of sexuality"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Hensley, Christopher L.","Eigenberg, Helen; Love, Sharon Redhawk","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:coverage":["Southern States"],"dc:creator":["Gibson, Lauren Elizabeth"],"dc:date":["2011-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["Prison sex research has generally followed an essentialist theoretical approach. Only Alarid (2000) examined jail sex using a social constructionist approach to understanding sexuality behind bars. Using data collected from 142 male inmates in a Southern maximumsecurity correctional facility, the purpose of the present study was to examine whether engaging in sexual behavior affects a change in the sexual orientation of male prison inmates, using a social constructionist theoretical approach. In addition, the influence of several sociodemographic and situational variables on the change in sexual orientation was examined. The only statistically significant variable associated with a change in sexual orientation was engaging in homosexual behavior. 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