Implement Extended Family Visits in Tennessee Prisons

The State of Tennessee does not offer inmates a proper way to maintain a family bond while they are incarcerated. Although the visitation rules vary for each prison, a vast majority of visitations are extremely strict in nature and short in duration.

They involve very minimal touching and can be consumed of interruptions. The rigid settings of the visitations are inadequate and insufficient at sustaining the family bond. The impact and despair of having a close family member incarcerated can diminish the support and love both the inmate and their family deserve.

The barrier created by your loved one being trapped and surrounded by cinder block walls and barb wire can be devastating. Ultimately, it can create the feeling of being nonexistent and hopeless. Even the strongest family bond can evaporate without the loving touch of your family, which is engrained in our human nature.

A diminished bond can end with harsh consequences on the inmate. Once they are released they may no longer have family to provide them a temporary home while they are able to build a foundation. They may become estranged from their children due to years or even decades of little contact. They are likely to even become bitter toward society as a whole.

A significant problem affecting tax payers, the State, and inmates is the risk of recidivism as a result of the inmate becoming institutionalized. This risk and enormous cost can be lowered by reinforcing family ties. Extended family visits can help maintain a way to insure the sanctity of marriage. If the inmate has children, this can provide loving support the child so desperately needs. Without providing extended family visits, inmates may never have the chance to form the sacred bond with their children that is so crucial to the span of life and future generations. I believe extended family visits can drastically reduce violence in prison, reinforce the rehabilitation of inmates through loving nurture, and provide the safety and security for families.