When a loved one is incarcerated, it’s always an incredibly difficult time for their spouses. Many people do not realize that they have a right to visit their spouse in jail. Knowing your rights to visitation is the best way to ensure that you can see your loved one during this difficult time. Most prisons, detention centers, and work camps, and jails have similar visitation rules.

How to Visit

If you’d like to visit a loved one in jail, you need to be added to a visitor list. This is possible by filling out a visitor form. This form will allow authorities to clear you for visits and enables them to track who visits their facilities. Typically, two forms of photo identification are required for a person to enter a correctional facility. Once cleared for visitation, do not bring anything from the facility’s list of banned items to your visit. Banned items can be illegal substances, alcohol, or something seemingly innocent such as pens and other items which could be considered as dangerous contraband inside of the prison.

Are Conjugal Visits Real?

A conjugal visit allows for a spouse to receive private time to foster a sexual relationship with their incarcerated loved one. In the past, conjugal visits were used as an incentive for good behavior. If an inmate caused no problems in prison, they would be allowed a private visit with their loved one. In fact, the earliest conjugal visits date back to 1918 when a Mississippi warden introduced them for rewards. After conjugal visits proved to be an effective incentive, prisons began building facilities designed for conjugal visits.

While these guidelines are helpful for a traditional visit during visitation hours, in some states spouses have the right to a more intimate visitation. This is known as a conjugal visit. Originally, conjugal visits between an inmate and his or her spouse were used as a sort of incentive. Inmates who behaved could receive the option to have these visits. This encouraged hard work and maintained a relationship between spouses. The earliest conjugal jail visits date back to 1918, when a warden at the Mississippi State Penitentiary introduced them as a motivational tool.

As of 2018, the following states allow conjugal visits:

· California

· Connecticut

· New York

· Washington

Today, conjugal visits are viewed as a form of rehabilitations. Supporters of these visits argue that it preserves family bonds and strengthens an inmate’s chance at recovery. However, conjugal visits are only allowed for inmates incarcerated in a prison with no more than medium security. Visiting spouses also have a list of requirements for conjugal visits. They must provide proof of relation (such as a marriage certificate, pass a background check, and submit to a search. To find out more about conjugal visits, contact the facility in which your partner is incarcerated in.

Extended Visits from Extended Family

Sometimes, an inmate’s immediate family will have the ability to visit them. In these cases, the family will be moved to apartment-style housing within the prison and be able to spend a limited amount of time there. In the states that justify these visits, authorities say that it is important to remind prisoners that there is an outside world beyond confinement. Seeing and spending quality time with their families can make these inmates zealous to cooperate and obey. If your spouse or partner is in prison, and you would like to have a conjugal visit, a family law attorney may be able to help you. Contact a lawyer today to see if you are eligible for this special visit with your loved one. A lawyer can also help you to sort through paperwork and work out any complications with setting up this special appointment.