Do prisons support parent-child visitation?
Yes. In the case of women’s prisons, we have found it is in the best interest of the child to have as frequent contact with the mom as possible. Contact with their mom reassures children they have not been abandoned and that their mom did not leave them because they were bad children, which is a common assumption kids make. Knowing her children are okay also helps the mom serve her time in an appropriate manner. Mother/child contact is an incentive for the mom to participate in programs which will help her be a better parent and a law-abiding citizen upon release. Visits can also have a positive impact on substance abuse treatment. CSPN: How do prison social workers contribute to visitation? When a family service worker wishes to bring the child to visit, the visit can be coordinated and supervised, if requested, by one of the prison social workers. Prison social workers also support visits by helping to clear up misunderstandings and false information prior to a visit. For example, in
