Straight to Video: America’s Inmates Deprived of a Lifeline Through Video-Only Visits

Abstract

The ability of inmates in the United States to visit with loved ones is often severely limited by correctional officials, and the courts have been reluctant to intervene. Recently, those officials have begun to replace in-person visitation with video visitation. This Note argues that such a transition will be harmful for inmates, correctional institutions, and the communities many of them eventually return to. It also suggests possible jurisprudential, legislative, and regulatory interventions to curtail the replacement of in-person visitation.