Only 4 States Allow Conjugal Visits, Does Texas Make The List?
Believe it or not, the popularity of conjugal visits is on the decline. In fact, only 4 states allow them in 2023.
Conjugal visits happen during a scheduled period of time, in which an inmate of a prison or jail is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor.
The point of a conjugal visit? I mean... the point is to get physical. It allows spouses of prisoners to have intimate contact with their partners. Some call it "sex" but we are keeping PG-13 today.
According to criminaldefenselawyer.com, prisoners who maintain close ties with spouses, partners, and family members are more likely to successfully reenter society upon release and less likely to commit crimes. A number of studies support this common-sense conclusion.
In spite of the evidence from these studies, most states no longer allow conjugal visits. In fact - for the most part, states no longer refer to "conjugal" visits. Most choose to use "family time" or "contact visits."
Here are the 4 states left that allow a variation of "conjugal" visits and what they choose to call them. Unfortunately, if you're locked up in Texas, you won't be getting any action behind bars down here.
California = "contact visits"
Connecticut = "extended family visits"
Washington = "extended family visits"
New York = "family reunion program"
In 1993, 17 states had conjugal visitation programs. By the 2000s, that number was down to 6, with only California, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, and Washington allowing such visits. By 2015, Mississippi and New Mexico had eliminated their programs.