Prison Visitation: Exploring the Neglected Role of Content and Quality

• In Event: Individual and Family Impacts of Incarceration

Abstract

Imprisonment, by definition, restricts the ability of inmates to access the social relationships integral to maintaining a healthy well-being. At the same time, the maintenance of social ties and social support significantly affect desistance processes and successful offender reentry. Stacked against these realities, prison visitation programs present one of the few opportunities to facilitate meaningful social interaction for inmates. Little research, however, has explored the actual content and quality of the prison visitation experience. To tap into the “black box of visitation”, we use latent class analysis to create groups representing the various forms visitation may take. In the process, we examine two primary research questions. First, what predicts membership in these groups? Second, after controlling for previous levels of instrumental and emotional support, how does membership in each of these groups influence perceptions of support upon release? We answer these questions using data from the Arizona Prison Visitation Project (APVP), which includes information obtained from semi-structured interviews of 231 male and female inmates across all security levels. The broader purpose is to determine whether visitation can help overcome the effects of isolation inherent to incarceration. Implications for correctional policy and practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Travis John Meyers, Arizona State University

• Kevin A. Wright, Arizona State University

• Jacob T.N. Young, Arizona State University

• Melinda Tasca, Sam Houston State University