State Facilities for Women and Men: A Comparison of Communication and Visitation Policies

• NCJ Number: 219111
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2007 Pages: 1-4,251,26
• Author(s): Heath C. Hoffmann; George E. Dickinson; Chelsea L. Dunn
• Date Published: January 2007
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper reports on the methodology and findings of a survey that compared inmate communication and visitation policies with family members and friends for male and female State prisons.

Abstract

The survey findings show apparently few major differences between male and female facilities in policies for inmate visitation, mail correspondence, and telephoning; however, there was a tilt toward less restrictive policies for women inmates. There was a discernible trend toward women inmates being allowed more visits each month, more open visitation policies, not having a correctional officer present during a visitation, being allowed to embrace visitors more often, being allowed more visitors at one time, being allowed more telephone calls, and having their calls monitored less. On the other hand, women were more likely to be required to pay for their mail postage than male inmates, and men were more likely to have access to conjugal visits and home furloughs. The next step is to determine how many U.S. prisons have adopted policies and programs as well as provided facilities that foster inmate parent-child interactions. Where such efforts exist, they must be evaluated in order to determine which among them have the greatest impact on inmates' adjustment to prison and postrelease success. The American Correctional Association's Directory of Correctional facilities (2004) was used to survey the warden/superintendent of each State-run maximum-security male and female adult correctional facility in the United States (n=292) between February and May 2005. Due to various conditions that prevented some facilities from complying with the survey's protocol, 193 facilities were ultimately included in the survey. Of these, 84 percent (n=162) returned completed surveys. Thirty-one of the prisons housed women only, 14 housed both men and women, and 117 housed only men. 1 note, 25 references