To See or Not to See: Factors Affecting the Likelihood of Visitation in Juvenile Residential Facilities

• In Event: Issues in Juvenile Corrections: Declining Numbers, Community Alternatives, Privatization, and Visitation

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a movement within the juvenile justice system towards a stronger focus on rehabilitation (Zimring, 2005; Butts & Mears, 2001). For juveniles that have been committed to a residential facility, one of the most theoretically relevant protective factors against future criminality is family involvement. Despite the potential roles these individuals play, there has been little to no research on family visitation at juvenile residential facilities. This study seeks to contribute to this gap in the literature. Research with adult offenders has suggested that prison visitation is beneficial to inmates (Cochran, 2012; Mears et al., 2012), indicating that visitation should be equally important to juveniles. Therefore, an important question to ask is what factors make it more or less likely that a juvenile will be visited during their confinement. Using survey data collected from juveniles released from detention centers in Florida, we assess what individual and family attributes contribute to the likelihood of visitation, the number of visits, and the form of contact (in-person, telephone, or mail).

Authors

• Melissa Nadel, Florida State University

• William Bales, Florida State University

• George B. Pesta, Florida State University

• Mark A. Greenwald, Florida State University