NCJ Number
186666
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2001 Pages: 80-109
Date Published
January 2001
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study surveyed women's perceptions of and their feelings about the Private Family Visit (PFV) program in Canada, which allows an inmate's family to visit the institution and meet privately with the inmate for 3 days in a trailer or private dwelling on the institution's property; the focus was on women's level of safety with the inmate during the conjugal visit.
Abstract
Women were not required to have a history of abuse, violence, or both with their partner to be eligible for the study. A total of 35 women participated in the study. The women interviewed were from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. A non-standardized questionnaire was developed to encourage discussion on the practicalities of PFVs (e.g., necessary arrangements made, costs); experiences with PFVs (e.g., description of such visits, interaction with partner); experiences with Correctional Services Canada (e.g., processes upon prison entry, interaction with staff); experiences with family and friends (e.g., feeling supported, share and compare PFV experiences with other women); feelings of obligation (e.g., feeling pressured to attend PFVs, coercion to be sexually intimate); experiences of abuse or control prior to and during incarceration; expectations of PFVs; and suggested recommendations for changing or improving the PFV program. Almost half of the women spoke of experiencing abuse with previous partners, but only four women admitted to having an abusive relationship with their current partner prior to his incarceration. These four women spoke of the fear and uncertainty they felt when attending the first few conjugal visits, although other women expressed the same concern. A preference for having more day visits and telephone communications before the first PFV was expressed. The women complained of various types of abuse from correctional staff on many levels and in various forms, including how staff treat and speak to them, how staff conduct security searches, how consistently procedures and rules are implemented, and the costs for food during conjugal visits. Recommendations for improving PFVs are offered. 14 references