Prison visitation crucial to rehabilitation: Guestview

I was shocked when I read James Call’s April 5, 2018 Pensacola News Journal article regarding decreasing visiting time for Florida inmates. Having dealt first-hand with, researched and written extensively about incarceration issues, I understand the importance of visiting time from two perspectives. Several reasons exist for retaining visiting time for inmates and families. Those who aren’t closely involved may fail to see that most inmates will be released and returned to society. Close contact with family members serves to keep the inmate involved and more aware of the outside world, a world to which he/she will be returning.

Education plays a huge part of rehabilitation, but so does remaining involved. Cutting visiting hours from 12 hours per week to two hours every two weeks verges on inhumane. Inmates who are restricted from outside contact are more likely to become institutionalized and may find transition more difficult. Inmates need interaction with caring people to help them confront their issues and reform themselves before reentering the community.

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On the other side, people who have incarcerated family members are not criminals themselves. Families suffer, often in silence, from being separated from each other. Families of incarcerated individuals are often judged even though they have committed no crime. They bear the brunt of further separation in addition to unfair social judgment. Particularly in the case of youth and young adults, parents can often assist in the rehabilitation process by providing caring advice, counseling, and encouragement.

Florida is not alone in dealing with a large inefficient penal system. While Florida has the third-largest prison system in the nation, the United States has the largest prison system in the world. This is not a statistic of which to be proud. Additionally, with a high recidivism rate, it’s obvious our system is not working.

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There is no cookie-cutter for inmates. Many are troubled individuals who need professional help. Bad people who are in prison deserve to be there to protect society. There are also many inmates who have committed nonviolent crimes as well as those who have shown remorse and achieved the necessary change of heart to be rehabilitated. Depriving them of positive outside contact is dehumanizing.

According to Call’s article, the FDC states the reason behind cutting the visiting hours is due to the amount of contraband brought into the prisons. An underlying problem is the lack of education and training for correctional officers. For the most part, these are unskilled positions; training and education is minimal, resulting in low wages. I’m sure there are many fine correctional officers; on the other hand, for some, a fine line exists between C.O. and inmate It’s a “There but for the grace of God go I” situation.

The social issues of crime and punishment are too big to be handled with a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality. While the prison system needs an overhaul, further separating families is not the place to start. I sincerely hope this proposed rule is not enacted.

Andrea Jones Walker is a Pensacola resident and author of "Bending the Arrow."