Based on a qualitative research in the womans prison in the Czech Republic I explore the gendered character of prisoners subcultures. With gender being the opiate of masses outside of the prison, gender also becomes the only available drug in the prison when the lack of work opportunities is replaced by constant work on relationships. Homosexual partnerships in prisons and the division of roles they produce, as well as pseudo families, are analyzed to show how heterosexual relationship patterns operate independently of biological sex.