Inmate Social Ties, Recidivism, and Continuing Questions About Prison Visitation

“The Course of Love Never Did Run Smooth”: Ex-Inmates’ Attitudes Toward Heterosexual Romantic Relationships

“…Their partner's hardship, which was evident in their phone calls and visits, intensified the inmates’ feelings of guilt, which, in turn, exacerbated their stress, worsened the pains of imprisonment, and eventually weakened their desire to maintain the relationship. Significantly, both the feelings of guilt and the maintenance of a stable relationship – widely considered in the criminological literature as protective factors that promote change and rehabilitation (Cochran, 2014) – appeared in this study to be barriers that inhibited the inmates emotionally and led some of them to reduce contact with their partner and even to consider ending the relationship.…”

“…This study concludes that for men in prison, the experience of their intimate relationships during incarceration is ambivalent, involving both positive emotions of warmth, love, and intimacy, and negative emotions of stress, pain, and frustration. Given that stable relationships with normative partners have been shown to improve inmates’ physical and mental health (Kennedy et al, 2018), reduce their rates of recidivism (Bersani et al, 2009; Sampson & Laub, 1993), and improve their future rehabilitation prospects (Cochran, 2014; Turney, 2015), we encourage the IPS and other prison services to invest in programs that support the maintenance and development of positive romantic relationships.…”

“I Lost Me Visits”

“…For young male prisoners (who are often fathers), the institutional practice of restricting physical contact with their children as punishment for drug-related behavior precludes meaningful parental interaction for significant periods of time and therefore undermines potentially positive outcomes of family visits—including reduced depression and an enhanced father identity that can facilitate optimism about the future and motivate avoidance of reoffending (Black, 2015; Day, Casey, Vess, & Huisy, 2012; Dixey & Woodall, 2012; Geller, Garfinkel, Cooper, & Mincy, 2010). We therefore suggest that prison drug policy needs reshaping in ways that support and foster more regular and meaningful visitation experiences—rather than harming connections with family (Arditti, Smock, & Parkman, 2005; Cochran, 2013; Pierce, 2015)—a response that would be consistent with the government’s purported desire to prevent reincarceration and re-“offending.”…”

“…Indeed, many studies have demonstrated that separation from family and friends is one of the most difficult enduring features of prison life (Cochran, 2013). Researchers concur that family visitation—the primary conduit through which prisoners maintain ties to their social networks on the outside—helps prisoners cope with prison life (Black, 2015; Blevins, Johnson Listwan, Cullen, & Lero Jonson, 2010; Cochran, 2013) and increases prisoners’ access to material and financial support while incarcerated.…”

“…Indeed, many studies have demonstrated that separation from family and friends is one of the most difficult enduring features of prison life (Cochran, 2013). Researchers concur that family visitation—the primary conduit through which prisoners maintain ties to their social networks on the outside—helps prisoners cope with prison life (Black, 2015; Blevins, Johnson Listwan, Cullen, & Lero Jonson, 2010; Cochran, 2013) and increases prisoners’ access to material and financial support while incarcerated. Prison visitation alleviates feelings of isolation (Blevins et al, 2010; Mears, Cochran, Siennick, & Bales, 2012), creating more optimism about the future and transitioning back to society after release, especially if visits are regular (Markson, Losel, Souza, & Lanskey, 2015; Taylor, 2016; Visher & O’Connell, 2013).…”