Conjugal visit

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[edit] Conjugal Visitation In the United States

In the United States, a conjugal visit is a scheduled visit during which an inmate of a penal institution is permitted to have sexual intercourse with a visitor in a closely controlled setting. It is generally stipulated that this visitor be a spouse. The generally recognized basis for permitting such a visit is that, even though the inmate has lost their rights with incarceration, their spouse still has the right to enjoy sexual intimacy, and should not be required to divorce or commit adultery in order to enjoy conjugal rights.

Inmates must meet certain requirements to qualify for this privilege, e.g. no violation of the rules in the last six months, history of good behavior, etc. Also the visitor may be required to undergo a background check before a conjugal visit. The inmate must also be free of any sexually transmitted diseases. The practice is usually restricted to minimum security facilities. During the visit, the inmate and visitor are usually led to a special private location, often a trailer or dedicated room, and often provided with certain supplies, such as soap, condoms, tissues, sheets, pillows, and towels. As a matter of procedure, both visitor and inmate are searched before and after the visit, to ensure that the visitor has not attempted to sneak any items in or out of the facility.

Over the last 40 years, most new prisons included special buildings specifically designed for "Sunday visits." Today, conjugal visitation programs, also known as the Extended Family Visit, only survive in six states: California, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York and Washington.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not allow conjugal visits [1].

The concept of the conjugal visit, like many other features of prison culture, has achieved mythic status in popular culture. An example of this mythic status is found in movies like Office Space, Jury Duty (film) and Life (film) as well as Seinfeld, Arrested Development and Prison Break, also Reno 911 and The Simpsons Season 4 Episode 21 Marge in Chains.

[edit] Around the World

Internationally, France and Canada allow prisoners who have earned the right to a conjugal visit stay in decorated home-like apartments during extended visits. In the Russian penal system, well-behaved prisoners are granted a three-day break from incarceration to see loved ones twice a year.^{[citation needed]} In Brazil, male prisoners are eligible to be granted conjugal visits for both heterosexual and homosexual relationships while women's conjugal visits are tightly regulated, if granted at all.^{[citation needed]}