Inmate Experience - Assignment Example

Problems experienced by inmates include sexual harassment by either their fellow inmates or sometimes prison officers. Another problem experienced by female inmates is insufficient prenatal and postnatal care and advice for women who may have been convicted while pregnant. Males are generally convicted of serious offences but rarely have medical problems. However, male inmates are more likely to bully each other as compared to their female counterparts. However, one common factor in both male and female inmates is the low level of literacy.

This paper focuses on the differences in experiences between male and female inmates. All inmates whether female or male suffer solitude since they are isolated from their families as well as the outside world and have to adopt a very different culture. This result is psychological problems such as depression, claustrophobia, feeling of disillusionment, brutality from other prisoners and aggression in some instances. For inmates serving long sentences, a feeling of worthlessness may be a source of distress.

It is therefore necessary that reformatory institutions be improved to serve the needs of inmates appropriately (Henderson Web). Differences in Experience between Male and Female Inmates Male and female inmates display a wide range of differences especially in aspects related to their social, health, and emotional needs and behaviours. Male inmates are often convicted of more serious problems than female inmates are. Male inmates therefore tend to remain in prison longer since the seriousness of their crimes calls for longer and more serious sentences (Henderson Web).

Female and male inmates show differences in terms of the basic requirements as well as personal problems. Women are likely to experience emotional problems especially if they had left their children without a caregiver. Most men may adapt to prison life faster while female inmates take time to settle in prisons or may never settle at all. Tendency for actions such as suicide are more likely to be witnessed among female inmates. Women inmates are different from their male counterparts when it comes to dealing with emotional distress.

Women inmates freely share and discuss their problems affecting them as opposed to male inmates who try to solve their problems individually (Bondeson 189-191). Male and female inmates also differ in their moral behaviours. As much as both male and female inmates involve themselves in homosexuality due to isolation, male homosexuality involves excess aggression. Some male inmates will sodomise their fellow cellmates. However, female homosexuality is in most instances consensual. The aggression and homosexuality in male inmates is attributed to attempts to demonstrate their masculinity.

On the other hand, most females engage in homosexuality in and for emotional reasons such as such as source of affection (Bondeson 83-85. Social organizations among male inmates also differ from those among female inmates. Female inmates tend to relate better among themselves as well as with the staff supervising them. On the contrary, male inmates tend to be socially distanced both amongst themselves as well as with their supervisors. This is evidenced during inmates meetings where female inmates are likely to discuss issues relating to feelings and attitude while male inmates discuss matters pertaining to rules as well as cell conflicts (Ghosh 73-75).