Prison Visitation and All-Cause Mortality During Reentry: An Examination of In-Person and Remote Video Visits

Prior research suggests in-person visitation while incarcerated has many benefits for reentry, including protective effects for health outcomes such as post-release mortality. However, researchers have not tested whether remote video visits are also linked to death after release from prison. Using a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McNeeley, Susan M. (Author)
Contributors: Koo, Doyun
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Criminal justice and behavior
Year: 2025, Volume: 52, Issue: 8, Pages: 1155-1172
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Reentry
Prisoner Reentry
Prisons
Health
Corrections
Description
Summary:Prior research suggests in-person visitation while incarcerated has many benefits for reentry, including protective effects for health outcomes such as post-release mortality. However, researchers have not tested whether remote video visits are also linked to death after release from prison. Using a sample of more than 7,000 people released from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study tests whether video visits are related to all-cause mortality after controlling for in-person visits and other covariates. The results of multivariate Cox regression models show a negative association between the total visitation rate and all-cause mortality, but null results were found when examining the in-person and video visitation rates separately. The results suggest the availability of remote video visits should be expanded to supplement, but not replace, in-person visits from friends and family members.
ISSN:1552-3594
DOI:10.1177/00938548251327342