Inmat s Who Receive Visits in Prison: Exploring Factors that Predict HISTORICALLY, PRISON VISITATION

HISTORICALLY, PRISON VISITATION has been regarded as important by correctional practitioners and scholars (Schafer, 1994). For inmates, social support and connections to the outside world established and maintained through prison visitation are critical. Visitation programs help inmates maintain communication with family and friends throughout their incarceration (Lochhead, 1992; Martin, 1997). Visitation may conceivably reduce stressors inherent in the prison environment, thereby enhancing institutional adjustment among inmates. Inmates who are better adjusted to the prison environment and connected to the outside world may also be expected to maintain a stronger connection to the outside world, including free-world norms, behaviors, and expectations, meaning they may be more likely to refrain from conduct that would cause them to receive disciplinary infractions or jeopardize early release. Such a view is supported by studies suggesting that inmates who receive visits are more likely to be successful in reentering society (Casey-Acevedo & Bakken, 2001, 2002; Schafer, 1991, 1994). Much of the literature on prison visitation focuses on its effects on inmate mental health and post-release behavior. Common among existing literature are findings suggesting that visits improve mental health and decrease recidivism among inmates (Bales & Mears, 2008; Casey-Acevedo & Bakken, 2001; Duwe & Clark, 2011; Monahan, Goldweber, & Cauffman, 2011; Tewksbury & DeMichele, 2005). For instance, Monahan, Goldweber, and Cauffman (2011) explored the relationship between parental visitation and inmate mental health. From the visitation records of 276 male juveniles over the course of the first two months of their incarceration, the researchers found that juveniles who received visits from parents reported more rapid declines in depressive symptoms over time compared to youth who did not receive such visits. In Florida, Bales and Mears (2008) examined the effects of prison visitation on recidivism among 7,000 inmates, and their results revealed that any number of visits and more frequent visits during the final year of incarceration decreased recidivism risk. Similarly, after studying the effects of prison visitation on recidivism among 16,420 inmates released from Minnesota prisons between 2003 and 2007, Duwe and Clark (2011) also found that visitation significantly decreased recidivism risk. Beyond looking at the impact on inmate mental health and recidivism, prison visitation studies also center on visitors. Casey-Acevedo and Bakken (2001) reported that more than 60 percent of women did not receive any visits from their minor children during their incarceration. In terms of children who do visit incarcerated parents, research suggests that children who lived with the parent before incarceration were most likely to visit (Martin, 1997; Prison Visitation Project, 1994; Tennessee Department of Corrections, 1995). Besides children, individuals most likely to visit inmates were other family members (Grinstead, Faigeles, Bancroft, & Zack, 2001). As Tewksbury and DeMichele (2005) revealed with visitors of male inmates, “most visitors are family members, many of whom plan to live with the inmate following incarceration” (p. 308). Although the research on prison visitation thus far primarily emphasizes effects on inmate recidivism and identifying common classes of visitors, it is similarly important to understand identifiable factors associated with inmates that are related to whether or not they receive visitors while incarcerated. Among female inmates, Casey-Acevedo and Bakken (2001) found no significant differences between individuals who received visits and those who did not, with the exception of the county of commitment. However, no previously identified study has examined characteristics of male inmates that may be associated with the likelihood of receiving visits. The present study will address this gap by considering whether or not there are specific characteristics of male inmates that are related to the likelihood and frequency of receiving visits.