Inside the Black Box

Abstract

The current study investigates how visitation affects inmates' social capital and whether it influences inmates' perceptions of costs incurred by their family members and friends as a result of incarceration. We use data from a recent survey of male prisoners to examine different aspects of visitation, such as types of visitors and frequency of visitation. The findings suggest that prison visitation contributes to the maintenance of inmates' social capital and could potentially shape their perceptions of the informal costs of reoffending. Regular visitation during incarceration may play a crucial role in successful reentry.

Examining External Support Received in Prison and Concerns About Reentry Among Incarcerated Women

“…Not least, the current study is limited as it was unable to examine other sources of social support, such as the number of telephone calls, or minutes spent talking to friends and loved ones via phone. 6 We followed the lead of prior investigations (e.g., Bales & Mears, 2008; Mears et al, 2012) by examining the types of social support that appears most relevant in policy discussions (i.e., visitation and letter correspondence; see most recently, Liu et al, 2014). There is thus a need for future research to examine other sources of social support.…”

“…In one final study, Liu, Pickett, and Baker (2014) examined whether visitation affected perceived hardship on family and friends and perceptions of social ties among incarcerated males living in Florida ( n = 414). Individuals visited specifically by their friends acknowledged greater costs of their incarceration to their friends.…”

“…Not least, both Returning Home studies gauged family perceptions (e.g., attachment to children, perceptions of family support) as the primary reentry experience of interest. In a similar fashion, Liu et al (2014) emphasized perceptions of familial/friend hardship and perceived social bonds rather than specific reentry concerns. Even so, incarcerated individuals, particularly women reentering society, likely have numerous reentry concerns and challenges.…”

Shared Race/Ethnicity With Police and Male Offenders’ Self-Regulating Beliefs: Exploring the Salience of Instrumental and Normative Factors for Securing Obedience

“…To measure the perceived severity of punishment, rather than ask about the traditional pains of imprisonment, respondents were asked about punishment severity in terms of one of the collateral pains of imprisonment: difficulty of incarceration for the inmates’ family members. Respondents were asked, “On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 is not hard at all and 7 is very hard, how hard has your incarceration been on your family members.” This measure has been used in prior studies as a perceived cost of reoffending for inmates (Liu, Pickett, & Baker, 2014). The mean perceived severity of punishment was 5.74, indicating a relatively high perceived severity of incarceration.…”

“…Respondents were asked, "On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 is not hard at all and 7 is very hard, how hard has your incarceration been on your family members." This measure has been used in prior studies as a perceived cost of reoffending for inmates (Liu, Pickett, & Baker, 2014). The mean perceived severity of punishment was 5.74, indicating a relatively high perceived severity of incarceration.…”