Posted on   12/9/2011  5:17 PM

Visits by family members and friends to prisoners may seem mundane, but they play a major role in improving public safety and reducing corrections costs, says The Crime Report, citing a Minnesota corrections department study reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“Inmates who receive regular visits are much less likely to be convicted of a felony once they leave prison because they develop strong support networks while imprisoned,” The Crime Report story says.

We know this to be true as well.

Our quarterly prison bonding trips reconnect children and their incarcerated parents. Our data shows that these bonds lower the number of disciplinary problems in prisons and improve the likelihood of desistance upon release. Our children also gain from these improved relationships, with a reduction of anti-social and other problematic behaviors.

It makes perfect sense why prisoners who receive regular visits from family, friends and volunteers are much less likely to be convicted of a felony once they leave prison. If they get strong support on the inside, they’ll likely get it as well back home in their communities.

At least that’s the hope.

Read full story here.