

Of course, the focus has been to take the stigma away from conjugal visits as a means of procreation, a short time, and a privilege as a result of good behavior. Washington and ConnecticutĬonnecticut and Washington have similar programs within their prison systems, referring to conjugal visits as extended family visits. California was one of the first to create a program based around contact visits, which allows the inmate time with their family instead of "private time" with their spouses as a means of forced love or procreation. By 2015, almost all states had eliminated the need for these programs in favor of more progressive values. In 1993, only 17 states had conjugal visit programs, which went down to 6 in 2000. Although the rules have since been relaxed to allow more private time with one's family, especially to incentivize good behavior and rehabilitation, it is still a controversy within social parameters. Of course, married spouses can't procreate if one is incarcerated, and this has been a topic of hot debate in the legal community for years. The right to procreate, religious freedom, marital privacy and to abstain from cruel and unusual punishment has been brought up and observed by the court. For example, cases have gone to the Supreme Court which have been filed as visits being considered privileges instead of rights. Historically, these were granted as a result of mental health as well as some rights that have since been argued in court. Conjugal visits began as a way for an incarcerated partner to spend private time with their domestic partner, spouse, or life partner. Conjugal visits have had a notorious past recently in the United States, as they were often not allowed to see their family unless it was for brief contact or to speak with them on the phone. California refers to these visits as contact visits.
