In such cases the Garda i was called immediately and the prisoner was examined by a doctor, brought to the Rape Crisis Centre and given the opportunity to see a psychiatrist or psychologist. Ongoing counselling was available for prisoners where the RCC deemed it appropriate. Male rape in prison was particularly traumatic, Ms Olive Braiden, director of the Rape Crisis Centre, said, and sympathy was often tinged with abhorrence for their crimes. Rape also highlighted prisoners' vulnerability, at a time when they might be feeling low. Compounding the trauma was the fact that men found it harder than women to report rape.
Men find it harder to look for help because they feel that a rape puts their sexuality in question.