The End of the Mississippi Experiment With Conjugal Visitation

On February 1, 2014, an end came to what had been termed the “Mississippi Experiment”—Conjugal visitation in the state’s prisons. What had begun as a practice to control inmates and provide them an incentive to work in the early 1900s had fallen victim to changing times and a declining state budget. The authors discuss the history of conjugal visitation in Mississippi as well as possible consequences associated with discontinuing the program. These include increased levels of violence within the prison system, recidivism once prisoners are released, and the breakup of families.