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Prison Visits

An illustration shows two torn images. In the left image, a medium-skinned man, wearing a green prison uniform, sits at a red table in a visiting room with people in the background. On the right, the image is upside down. It shows the man's parents also sitting at a red table. The mother wears a burnt orange hijab and dark green sweater, while the father wears a jade green long-sleeved buttoned-up shirt.
Life Inside September 6, 2024
A Serious Case of Prison Visit Blues
Tariq MaQbool reflects on disruptive COVID-era visitation restrictions that remain in effect at New Jersey State Prison.
By Tariq Maqbool
An illustration shows a person in a khaki prison uniform standing in front of a mirror. In the mirror, the person adjusts their tie while wearing a navy blazer and white dress shirt.
Life Inside January 26, 2024
How a Borrowed Blazer, Tie and Dress Shirt Helped Me See Myself as a Man, Not a Prisoner
On a special visiting day at Washington Corrections Center, incarcerated men were able to dress up. This seemingly small change made a big difference.
By Darrell Jackson
A Black man wearing a red T-shirt that reads “No kids in Angola” shouts during a protest at the Louisiana state Capitol against the state’s decision to house some youth at the adult prison Angola.
Inside Story February 2, 2023
When Kids Are Punished Like Adults
Louisianans protest temporary youth housing in notorious Angola, and Bryan Stevenson speaks on sentencing reform.
By and
Coronavirus December 8, 2021
How Prisons in Each State Are Restricting Visits Due to Coronavirus
As COVID-19 spread earlier this year, prison facilities across the country suspended visits from family and lawyers. Several months into the pandemic, some states are easing those restrictions. We’re rounding up the changes as they occur.
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M., 23, stands in the room she has prepared for her daughter at her home in Massachusetts in March of 2021. Since her newborn daughter was placed in foster care, M. has been forced to bond with her primarily through Zoom.
Coronavirus April 14, 2021
These Parents Had to Bond With Their Babies Over Zoom — or Lose Them Forever
During the pandemic, video chats replaced in-person visits between parents and their children placed in foster care. The effects could linger for years.
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Detainees eat lunch at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Florence, Ariz., on Feb. 28, 2013.
Life Inside November 25, 2020
Why My First Thanksgiving in Prison Was The Best One I’d Had In Forever
Between being sober, getting a visit and having a surprise feast with the mean girls in my unit, I still cherish that day.
By
The System November 13, 2020
Life Behind the Wall
Sure, prisons and jails are dangerous places. But everyday life inside isn’t as explosive as TV and movies make it look.
By and
Life Inside June 18, 2020
My Dad Went to Prison When I Was 5. Now I Write About Families Like Mine
Growing up with a father who was incarcerated didn’t define me. But it certainly taught me to challenge stereotypes and ask better questions.
By Sylvia A. Harvey
Life Inside June 4, 2020
I Wonder If They Know My Son Is Loved
Visiting my son in jail for the first time, I know that I cannot protect him. Although he is too young to drink, the criminal justice system regards him as an adult.
By Ymilul Bates
News December 18, 2019
The Long Journey to Visit a Family Member in Prison
Remote prison towns and strict visitation policies make it hard to stay in touch.
By and
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