Visitation in Jail and Recidivism

• In Event: Impact of Visitation in Jails and Prisons

Abstract

Research indicates that visitation while incarcerated in prison is associated with reductions in recidivism upon release. Visitation strengthens bonds and relationships with family and friends, who in turn can provide material and emotional support upon release. Recent studies also suggest that a greater frequency of visitation is more protective from recidivism and that even video visitation may be helpful in avoiding recidivism after release (Duwe & McNeeley, 2021). Far less research has examined the impact of visitation on recidivism among jail inmates, with those few extant studies providing promising, similar findings (.e.g, Casey et al., 2021). We expand this line of research into visitation among those incarcerated in jail with a sample of county jail inmates whose criminal history was tracked post-release. We use survival analysis to estimate the impact of receiving visitation as well as the frequency of visitation upon post-release re-arrest.

Authors

• Mari Pierce, Penn State Beaver

• Benjamin Meade, James Madison University