Sex toys are being made available to female prisoners in the Netherlands as authorities try to address health risks linked to inmates using improvised objects for sexual pleasure.
The policy, being introduced across Dutch prisons, is expected to make sex toys available to about 70% of female inmates. Prison authorities say the move is intended to provide a safer alternative after concerns were raised about infections associated with homemade devices.
The decision follows reports from medical and prison staff that some inmates have used everyday objects, including toothbrushes, as makeshift sex toys. According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, experts have warned that such practices can contribute to health problems, including fungal infections.
Under the scheme, female prisoners will be able to choose between two products: an air-pressure Satisfyer and a transparent, non-branded dildo. The items will not be provided for free. Prisoners will be able to purchase them at cost price.
The Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency said the policy was based partly on the potential health benefits of allowing prisoners access to safer sexual aids.
“Healthy sexuality contributes to relaxation, better sleep and less frustration, and can reduce health risks arising from unsafe alternatives,” the agency said.
The issue has been debated in the Dutch prison system for some time. Research cited by the Belgian Brief found that female inmates had limited opportunities to express their sexual needs while in custody, with some prisons even restricting items such as electric toothbrushes because they could potentially be used for sexual stimulation.
That approach, researchers argued, could have unintended consequences. When conventional sexual aids are prohibited, inmates may turn to objects that were never designed for intimate use, increasing the possibility of injury or infection.
The research noted that medical staff had specifically raised concerns about fungal infections linked to the use of homemade alternatives. It also argued that banning sexual aids could prevent detained people from meeting their sexual needs in safer ways.
Some prison staff have supported the change, arguing that sexual wellbeing should not automatically disappear when someone enters custody.
One staff member quoted in the report recalled raising the issue previously and being met with laughter, including from psychologists. The staff member later argued that providing safer sexual aids could make a meaningful difference to prisoners who had previously had access to them outside prison.
A female prisoner also expressed support for the idea, saying women, like men, have sexual needs and that providing some form of safe option would be beneficial.
The policy reflects a broader question facing prison authorities: how far should prisons go in addressing aspects of inmates’ private lives that are not directly connected to their sentences, particularly when restrictions may create separate health risks?
For Dutch officials, the immediate argument is less about encouraging sexual activity than reducing the potential harm associated with unsafe alternatives. By allowing prisoners to buy regulated products at cost price, authorities are attempting to replace improvised objects with items designed specifically for sexual use.
The trial is expected to run for a year. After that period, prison officials will assess the policy before deciding whether sex toys will continue to be available for female inmates to purchase.
So far, there is no indication that a similar scheme is being considered for male prisoners.
