Conjugal Visits

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Recommended: Prison and its effectiveness

Prisons are meant to help rehabilitate the way of life for people who have committed crimes. However, the criminal justice system has not proved to be as effective as it should be. Two thirds of people who come out of prison are rearrested within three years (Parker, 2009). I believe this is because the justice system has failed and individuals are not receiving the services for a successful transition into the community. Instead, they remain as criminals. I strongly believe that allowing inmates the right to conjugal visits will help ensure a criminal is rehabilitated and ready to re-enter society. Conjugal visits give inmates the motivation to show good behavior. If the inmates show good behaviors, they will have the opportunity to stay connected with their family ties and have an easy transition back into society.

Conjugal visits are often considered to be a synonym for sex; however, this is not always true. Married couples have natural rights to marriage and these are called conjugal rights. Conjugal rights enable married couples to enjoy associating with one another, sympathizing together, confiding together, creating domestic happiness, sharing a home together, preparing meals together, and having intimacies with one another (Wright, n.d.). There are currently five states in the Unites States in which conjugal visits are allowed. These states are California, New Mexico, New York, Mississippi, and Washington (Thompson, 2008). In California, same sex conjugal visits are also permitted (“California Prisons Getting in Line with 2005 Law“, 2007). The privilege of conjugal visits in these states has shown to be effective. Inmates are showing good behavior because they know that they will be rewarded with something that is impor...

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...his demonstration of good behavior will be a big help in keeping the inmate connected to family and navigating back into society without a problem. Everybody deserves a second chance at making a better life for themselves and an inmate should not be thought of any different.

Works Cited

California Prisons Getting in Line with 2005 Law. (2007). Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com

Odom, B. (2009). Three Common Prison Debate Questions. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com

Parker, R. (2009). Most Criminals Return To Crime After Prison . Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.parapundit.com

Thompson, S. (2008). . Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com

Wright, K. (n.d.). Conjugal Visitation: A U.S. Perspective. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.fcnetwork.org /conjugal.html

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