A visit from family members could require 12 hours of travel plus overnight costs. We know prisoners who did not see their children for two or even five years. Yet, studies show that family visiting and community contacts are significant factors in community readjustment and reducing return to prison. Laws were passed to alleviate this problem in 1994, but without the attached funding for implementation. Although many women are in prison because of drug use or possession, only about 10 percent receive adequate drug treatment.
Health care is practically nonexistent.
Often inmates wait hours for insulin, or months for treatment for abnormal bleeding, breast lumps and other major problems. The U.S. could well follow Europe's practice of having women officers in women's prisons. Inmates need counseling services, particularly in times of grief, and classes in promoting self-esteem. The practice of helping women receive their GED while imprisoned is a good one. However, too many women who are graduates of high school and even college are required to take GED training because they are unable to provide their educational records according to the required procedure.