Prepare to Visit Someone in Prison

You'll learn what to do to get ready for the visit, what not to do, what to bring, and what to expect once you're there.

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Some people would say,"let them rot and throw away the key. The inmate should have thought about potentially losing contact with family and friends before committing the crime." I feel that way too, having worked in prisons for over 23 years because some people are just evil.

However, the majority of inmates today are in prison for drug offenses. They are going to return to society. They screwed up in a bad way. Yet everyone makes mistakes. If they are able to maintain social connections on the outside, "in the world" as they say, then their transition back to freedom is smoother, they have an incentive to follow prison rules in order to have visits, and inmates with a social support system have a lower recidivism rate. All reduce the cost to society.

So you may disagree with the idea of visitation for prisoners (most wardens and correctional staff would just as soon not have it because of the work, expense, and jeopardy to the safety and security of the prison), but it is a necessary evil if not something food and humane.