Prisoner-Partner Sexual Relations Not a Human Right

“Civil rights advocates who promote prisoner-partner sexual relations as a human right, will get little public sympathy or support.” That is the view of National Director, Prison Fellowship New Zealand, Mr Kim Workman. “The former Minister of Corrections, the Hon Matt Robson, made that mistake, and efforts to promote a similar policy in the early 1990’s met with political and public resistance.”

“The anecdotal evidence is that only about 50% of partnerships survive a prison sentence. Separation, financial hardship, and relationship issues all contribute to the breakdown of relationships. Sadly, having a stable and permanent relationship is one of the keys to the reduction of prisoner re-offending.”

“Conjugal visits need to be seen in the wider context of a strategy which assists prisoners to sustain positive relationships with their partners over the term of imprisonment, and particularly in the last twelve months. In some cases, prisoners have unrealistic expectations, and think they can just carry on where they have left off, some years before. They do not realise that both partners have changed as a result of the prison experience. In some cases, they require relationship counselling to make a successful transition.

Very few prisoners are able to access either the resources or the opportunities to bring about a staged process of familial reconciliation. But it is a key to successful prisoner reintegration. “Any enlightened prison policy should see the resumption of normal sexual relationships as an integral part of a prisoner reintegration plan, and make appropriate provision. But it needs to be seen within the wider context of building positive human relationships prior to release”.

ENDS

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