By Rtd. Lt. Col. Dr. Damiano Kato Abooki
International University of East Africa
Email: damian.kato@iuea.ac.ug
*ABSTRACT*
This study examined the relationship between incarceration environment and sexual behaviour among inmates in Luzira, Kigo, and Kasangati prisons in Wakiso District. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research found that overcrowding, inadequate privacy, poor supervision, and limited rehabilitation programs significantly influenced sexual practices within correctional facilities. The findings suggest urgent need for policy reforms in prison management, inmate welfare, sexual health education, and family rights to uphold human dignity and reduce health risks.
*Keywords:* Incarceration Environment, Sexual Behaviour, Conjugal Rights, Prisons, Uganda, Inmate Welfare
*1. INTRODUCTION*
Prisons are total institutions designed for rehabilitation and punishment. However, the environment within them often produces unintended outcomes. In Uganda, prisons like Luzira, Kigo, and Kasangati face challenges of congestion, limited resources, and weak psychosocial support. This study, drawn from doctoral research at Nkumba University, sought to understand how these environmental factors shape sexual behaviour among inmates.
*2. THE INCARCERATION ENVIRONMENT*
The three prisons studied represent different categories: Luzira as a maximum-security facility, Kigo as a remand and women’s prison, and Kasangati as a district prison. Common environmental stressors identified include:
1. *Overcrowding*: Cells built for 50 often house over 200 inmates.
2. *Lack of Privacy*: Communal sleeping and bathing areas.
3. *Limited Recreational and Educational Programs*: Idleness increases vulnerability.
4. *Inadequate Health Services*: Including sexual and reproductive health.
*3. SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR IN PRISONS*
Findings indicate that sexual activity in these facilities occurs despite official prohibition. Key drivers include:
1. *Consensual Relationships*: Formed for companionship and protection.
2. *Coercive Practices*: Linked to power dynamics and gang structures.
3. *Transactional Sex*: Exchange for food, protection, or favors.
4. *Lack of Sexual Health Information*: Leading to risky practices and low condom use.
*4. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE*
The study recommends:
1. *Decongestion* of prisons through alternative sentencing and case backlog reduction.
2. *Comprehensive Sexual Health Education* and access to condoms and testing.
3. *Strengthening Rehabilitation Programs* in education, skills, and counseling.
4. *Improved Supervision and Classification* to protect vulnerable inmates.
*5. CONCLUSION*
The incarceration environment directly shapes inmate behaviour. To achieve the constitutional mandate of rehabilitation, Uganda Prisons Service must address structural conditions that compromise health and dignity. This study provides evidence for policy to make prisons places of correction, not harm.
*6. RECOMMENDATION: CONJUGAL RIGHTS AND PRISON MARRIAGE*
While Uganda’s Prisons Act Cap 304 does not currently provide for conjugal visits, the constitutional right to marry under Article 31 and the pastoral needs of inmates cannot be ignored. Field observations and interviews during this study revealed a strong demand among inmates for legally recognized marriage and family contact.
To balance security, morality, public health, and human rights, this study proposes:
1. *Formalize Prison Weddings*: Uganda Prisons Service, in partnership with licensed religious institutions, should develop clear guidelines for conducting church and mosque weddings inside prisons. This upholds dignity and family continuity.
2. *Pilot Supervised Family Contact Programs*: Instead of immediate conjugal rooms, UPS can pilot “family days” in decent, supervised settings for legally married inmates.
3. *Integrate Marriage Counseling and Sexual Health*: The Church, Ministry of Health, and UPS should provide pre-marital counseling, HIV testing, and education for inmate couples.
4. *Link to Rehabilitation*: Research shows family support reduces recidivism. Framing marriage and conjugal contact under rehabilitation aligns with the mandate of correctional services.
Adopting these measures will reduce risky sexual practices found in this study and restore hope and responsibility among inmates.
*REFERENCES*
Government of Uganda. (1995). _The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda_. Kampala: Government Printer.
Government of Uganda. (2006). _The Prisons Act Cap. 304_. Kampala: Government Printer.
Human Rights Watch. (2018). _“Where No One Can Ask for Help”: Human Rights Abuses in Ugandan Prisons_. New York: HRW.
Uganda Prisons Service. (2020). _Annual Report 2019/2020_. Kampala: UPS.
World Health Organization. (2014). _Prisons and Health_. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*
*Rtd. Lt. Col. Dr. Damiano Kato Abooki* is a retired UPDF officer with 24 years of service. He holds a PhD from Nkumba University. His doctoral research was on _”Incarceration Environment and Sexual Behaviour among Inmates of Luzira, Kigo, and Kasangati Prisons in Wakiso District”_. He also holds an http://M.Ed and PGDE from Makerere University, and degrees in Philosophy and Theology. He served in the PPU, SFC, AMISOM Somalia, and the Doctrine Center Mbuya. He contested as an Independent Candidate for Busiro North. His writing draws from lived experience in Uganda’s security, governance, and social institutions since 2000
