Visitation at County Jails: Potential Policy Implications

Abstract

This study sought to better understand the concerns of correctional officers and visitors about the process of visitation at five county jails in Pennsylvania. Two qualitative methods, observations and interviews, were used to gather data from correctional officers, visitors, and wardens. Correctional officers were concerned about security and working with unruly visitors. Concerns of visitors were that they wanted to have contact visits with inmates, to have some improvements made with the visitation process, and to be treated better by criminal justice personnel. These issues were discussed with the wardens, and suggestions for improving the visitation process were discussed. Potential policy changes are presented in this article, such as identifying visitors of inmates and scheduling visits. It is also suggested that training correctional personnel with interpersonal communication skills and a human service orientation may enhance their jobs and alleviate some of the problems with the visitation process at jails.