Discussion Paper: What Has Happened to Prison Visiting? Current Use of a Rehabilitative Tool

• NCJ Number: 116840
• Author(s): L A Bennett
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 11 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Montreal, Canada, November 1987

Annotation

This paper examines the practice of family visits with inmates and reports on a survey undertaken to determine how the practice of inmate visits has survived crowded prison facilities and tight correctional budgets.

Abstract

While there are very few studies available about inmate visits, those that do exist indicate that prisoners who are visited by their families and friends during incarceration make better parole and postinstitutional adjustments. Private family visits, also know as conjugal visits, have become more common in recent years. The survey reports information received from departments of corrections in the 50 States, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, and the four U.S. territories. Survey findings include data showing that the length of visits per week has increased and that 70 percent of the jurisdictions have managed to provide more visiting space to meet the needs of increased inmate populations. Some jurisdictions provide transportation assistance for families of inmates, while others provide assistance for prisoners who have no close friends or family ties and therefore receive no visits. Private family visiting programs show some increase, although few jurisdictions seemed disposed to start new programs. The study includes a discussion of the policy implications of the findings. 26 references.