Understanding the Barriers to Prison Visitation in Australia.

• In Event: Teaching and Visitation in Jails and Prisons

Abstract

Previous studies examining barriers to visitation are predominantly isolated to areas in Northern America. Considering social, cultural, geographical, and political differences can exist not just between jurisdictions, but between countries, it is important to examine whether the known visitation barriers are shared across countries and not assume they are universal. This study explores the visitation experiences of 21 Australian prison visitors and analyzes survey responses from 248 participants to examine whether there are unique visitation barriers at the individual, structural, institutional, geographic, and economic level that differs from those experienced by visitors in Northern America. By understanding the barriers to visitation that are specific to each area we can identify possible interventions, practice and policy changes that could be implemented to improve visitation access and the number of visits that occur for both prisoners and families. Using Flexible Pattern Matching analysis five categories of visitation barriers were identified in participants’ visitation experiences. These were ‘Institutional pre-approval barriers’, ‘Institutional post-approval barriers’, ‘Technological barriers’, ‘Geographic cost associated barriers’, and ‘Economic barriers’. Implications for prison visitation policy and practice are discussed.

Author

• Nicole Ryan, La Trobe University