Determinants of Prison Visitation in Dutch Prisons

• In Event: Inmate Social Networks

Abstract

Prison visitation has been proposed to be an important experience that impacts behavior during imprisonment and after release. Current scholarship, therefore, has greatly focused on the consequences of visitation, however studies have reported that around 50% of prisoners are never visited. If visitation is to be considered as not only a fundamental right of prisoners, but also a strategy for improving inmate behavior, then it is pertinent to know who is being visited and why others are not. This study seeks to address this issue by looking at determinants of prison visitation at an individual-level (e.g. demographic factors, social ties prior to incarceration, criminal history, etc.) and structural-level (e.g. visiting hours, accessibility, costs, distance) in seven Dutch prisons. This paper utilizes both self-report data from the Life in Custody Study and administrative data concerning the frequency of visits, timing of visits and visitor characteristics. In addition, the visitation policies of the prisons will be examined. This paper adds to current scholarship by considering the heterogeneity of visitation, including the experience of visitation, leading to a better understanding of the occurrence of prison visitation in the Netherlands.

Authors

• Maria Berghuis, Leiden University

• Hanneke Palmen, Leiden University

• Paul Nieuwbeerta, Leiden University