rape in prison is part of a system of control that inmates have over each other, where they create their own hierarchy of power. Many rapists of other inmates will *protect* that inmate if trouble occurs. ( eldridge cleaver )
rape/sex = power. the act is that of power and control over the victim/situation and themselves.. strangely enough. in many histories of women in culture, (lucy lippard for example) penetration is considered the act of control...
from my experience working at D.O.V.E., a domestic violence hotline for the abuser and abused, the aggressor knows the victim is humiliated- and that makes the aggressor temporarily 'stonger' and in control over them.
(a parallel to this is when someone recieves sexually harrassing phone calls- the more outraged/humiliated the person is on the line, the better for the aggressor. )
>Chuck Kuecker said
>
>> Prisoners who rape are doing it for much more than sexual release - it's a
>> power trip.
"Apparently this "rape = power not sex" "