Friendship and Visitation in Prison: An Exploratory Network Analysis

• In Event: Person Centered Prison Research: Resource Access and the Prison Experience

Abstract

Is there an association between visitation and in-prison inmate social ties? Theoretically, exploring the link between visitation and inmate peer relations has the potential to enhance our knowledge of the social dynamics underlying the incarceration experience, such as whether inmates may differentially invest in relationships with other prisoners based on the availability of outside social support. Against this backdrop, the goals of the current study are to (1) establish if prison visitation is associated with in-prison inmate social ties, and (2) provide narrative accounts of how visitation connects to prison-based peer relationships from inmates with varying levels of inside and outside attachments. We descriptively examine hypotheses of social ties and visitation by drawing on administrative visitation records and social network surveys to elucidate the connection between prison visitation and inmate peer relations. We supplement this analysis with “ideal type” qualitative interviews wherein incarcerated respondents describe their attitudes toward socializing with other inmates and the extent to which they have been able to maintain ties with friends and relatives outside the prison. We conclude by discussing key findings as they relate to the hypothesized associations between in-prison and out-of-prison social ties.

Authors

• Corey Whichard, University at Albany, SUNY

• Sara Wakefield, Rutgers University