Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Nov 12.
Published in final edited form as: Am Psychol. 2010 Sep;65(6):575–598. doi: 10.1037/a0020279

Table 2.

Visitation Policies at State Prisons and City/County/Regional Jails in 7 0 States

State No. of state
  prisons surveyed
  (% of prisons in state)
% of state prisons
  with contact visits
  for general
  prisoners
% of state prisons
  with contact visits
  for maximum
  security prisoners
City/ county of jails surveyed Type of jail visitation permitted
Arizona 18 (100%) 100% 0% Phoenix/ Maricopa
  County
Noncontact closed-circuit TV
Tucson/ Pima County Noncontact closed-circuit TV
Florida 60 (95%) 100% 100% Tallahassee/ Leon County
  Orlando/ O range County
Noncontact closed-circuit TV
  Noncontact barrier
Louisiana 9 (81%) 100% 0% New Orleans/ Orleans
  Pa ris h
Noncontact barrier
Baton Rouge/ E. Baton
  Rouge Pa rish
Noncontact barrier
M assachusetts 13 (100%) 82% 0% Boston/ Suffolk County
  North Hampton/
  Hampshire County
Noncontact barrier Contact visits
Michigan 38 (100%) 100% 0% Detroit/ Wayne County
  Lansing/ Ingham County
Noncontact barrier
  Noncontact barrier
Nebraska 9 (90%) 100% 100% Omaha/ Douglas County Noncontact barrier;
  however, inmates can
  apply for contact visits
Lincoln/ Lancaster County Noncontact closed-circuit TV
Pennsylvania 25 (100%) 100% 100% Harrisburg/ Dauphin
  County
Noncontact barrier visits;
  however, inmates can
  earn contact visitation
  privilege
Pittsburgh/ Allegheny
  County
Both contact and noncontact
  barrier visits; determined
  by offense
Virginia 36 (92%) 100% 100% Richmond/Henrico
  County
Noncontact barrier;
  however, some inmates
  can earn monthly contact
  visitation
Fairfax/ Fairfax County Noncontact barrier
W ashington 19 (90%) 94% 0% Seattle/ King County
  Olympia/ Thurston
  County
Noncontact barrier Noncontact barrier
Wisconsin 19 (100%) 95% 100% Madison/ Dane County Noncontact barrier;
  however, Huber inmates
  can apply for contact
Milwaukee/Milwaukee
  County
Noncontact barrier

Note. We chose the 10 states listed in Table 2 so that we could represent all the major regions of the United States New England (MA), Mid Atlantic (PA, VA), South (FL, LA), Southwest (AZ), Pacific Northwest (WA), Midwest (MI, WI), and Central Plains (NE). At the time this article was revised (December 2009), the information about visitation policies pertained to the majority of inmates at these corrections facilities; however, some policies may have changed since that time.