Psychosocial Consequences of Conjugal Visits in Prison

• NCJ Number: 70637
• Author(s): J Burstein
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 277 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco, California - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

The psychological and social impact of conjugal visits in prisons, permitted only in California and Mississippi, are examined in this study.

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that the deprivation of heterosexual activity in prisons has historically resulted in a high incidence of homosexuality and sexual assaults. For married men the prolonged separation from their wives has led to high divorce rates and family breakdowns. The Family Visiting Program (including conjugal visits) of the California Department of Corrections offered an opportunity to examine the meaning of conjugal visits in the lives of inmates who were allowed them. A group of 40 inmates at a State correctional training school were subjects of the study. A total of 20 inmates (the experimental group) received conjugal visits lasting 44 hours every 4-6 weeks, while the other 20 inmates saw wives weekly or biweekly for regular visits lasting 3-4 hours in a common visiting room. The men were interviewed individually and completed a questionnaire. The interview examined attitudes, beliefs, and emotions related to the two respective types of visits. Additionally, a 1-year followup study was conducted on marital status and postparole outcomes. The two groups differed widely in regard to emotional and sexual factors in the visits experienced. These included contrasting perceptions of anxiety, depression, passage of time, benefits of visits, comfort with sexual intimacy, and relationships to children. After the followup study, it was confirmed that 64 percent of men in the comparative group had been divorced or separated or were experiencing serious marital conflicts, as opposed to 22 percent in the experimental group. In all, 21 percent of the experimental subject had parole difficulties as opposed to 36 percent of the comparative subjects. The study recommends the expansion of conjugal visits throughout State prison systems as well as further long-range research to determine to what extent such visits influence marital stability and recidivism rates. Tabular data, appendixes presenting study materials, and over 100 references are included. (Author abstract modified)