Adult and Child Visiting at Urban Jails: Perspectives on Visitation Experiences and Policies among Visitors and People in Jail

• DOI: 10.1177/00328855211010477
• Date: 01 June 2021
• Author: Laura Napolitano,Jane A. Siegel
• Published date: 01 June 2021
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855211010477

The Prison Journal

2021, Vol. 101(3) 331 –351

© 2021 SAGE Publications

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DOI: 10.1177/00328855211010477

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Article

Adult and Child

Visiting at Urban

Jails: Perspectives on

Visitation Experiences

and Policies among

Visitors and People in Jail

Jane A. Siegel1 and Laura Napolitano1

Abstract

Growth in the US incarcerated population over recent decades has brought

a burgeoning body of research on parent-child visitations in correctional

facilities. In contrast to this research, which has largely focused on prisons,

this study reports survey results from over 900 visitors and incarcerated

adults in an urban jail system. We center our attention on the commonality

of children visiting jail incarcerated parents, the ways in which a jail system

may facilitate or hamper the visitation process, and opinions on potential

visiting policy modifications, including the use of video visiting. Implications

for jail visitation policies are discussed.

Keywords

jails, visiting, children and families

Introduction

At the end of September 2020, almost 1.25 million individuals were incarcer-

ated in prisons and jails in the United States (Kang-Brown et al., 2021, p. 1).

1Rutgers University – Camden, NJ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Laura Napolitano, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminal Justice, Rutgers

University – Camden, 405-407 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102, USA.

Email: Laura.napolitano@rutgers.edu

1010477TPJXXX10.1177/00328855211010477The Prison JournalSiegel and Napolitano

research-article2021

332 The Prison Journal 101(3)

Yet, incarceration does not just impact those in correctional facilities. Over half

of the individuals confined in federal and state prisons are parents, and nearly

3 million children are currently experiencing the impact of parental incarcera-

tion (Western & Petit, 2010).

In the last decade, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have

become more attuned to the collateral effects of incarceration. Particular

attention has been paid to its impact on those left behind, such as children

and partners (e.g., Arditti, 2012; Braman, 2004; Comfort, 2008; Celinska &

Siegel, 2010; Eddy & Poehlmann-Tyne, 2019; Siegel, 2011; Wakefield &

Wildeman, 2013). While most of this research has focused on children with

a parent in prison, arguably more children experience separation from a

parent due to incarceration in jails. Although exact numbers are difficult to

obtain, researchers estimate that 10.6 million adults entered jail in 2017,

and that nearly 750,000 people are in jails on any given day (Zeng, 2019).

The many reasons one may be incarcerated in a jail and the frequent cycling

in and out that characterizes jail operations present unique challenges to

understanding the potential consequences on children with jailed parents

(Turney & Connor, 2019).

Given the limited information on children of jail-incarcerated parents, it is

crucial to learn more about this population. In this article, we analyze data

from an original survey of over 900 visitors and incarcerated individuals in

an urban jail system. We examine the commonality of children visiting jail

incarcerated parents, the ways a jail system may facilitate or hamper the visit-

ing process, and opinions on potential visitation policy modifications.

Parental Jail Incarceration and Children

A burgeoning literature has emerged on the impact of parental prison incar-

ceration on children and families (see Foster & Hagan, 2009; Poehlmann

et al., 2010; Turney & Goodsell, 2018 for reviews1). However, less academic

research has examined the impact of jail incarceration more broadly (Turney

& Connor, 2019) and, particularly, the effects of parental jail incarceration on

parent-child relationships. Clearly, this is an area in need of greater research

exploration (Wakefield & Montagnet, 2019).

Periods of parental incarceration in jail are likely to have distinctive con-

sequences for children (Turney & Connor, 2019). For example, parental

incarceration in jails is likely to include more transitions than parental incar-

ceration in prisons, with parents often entering and exiting the jail system at

several different time points (Poehlmann et al., 2010; Turney & Connor,

2019). Research in Denmark demonstrates that children whose fathers are

incarcerated multiple times, even for short periods similar to American jail