“…It also gives them a sense of independence and security so they do not have to borrow for their needs. Little, however, is known about how and why family contact is beneficial, and how it interacts with other facets of the prison experience such as participation in programs, who is visiting (e.g., wife, parent, or girlfriend), and prisoner factors such as the type of crime, length of sentence, and criminal history (Schafer, 1994). It is possible that family-oriented programs such as parenting skills and life training courses are just as valuable to prisoners as visitation, but these questions have not been adequately addressed in the literature.…”