Conjugal Visits: Not exactly what you think

Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly complex and often misunderstood world of conjugal visits and extended family visits in American prisons, tracing their controversial origins at Mississippi's Parchment Farm in 1918 to their current decline across just seven states. They explore how these visits have evolved from a racist labor incentive into what criminologists once called an "enlightened" program designed to maintain family bonds and reduce recidivism, while examining the four main arguments used to eliminate them—cost, morality, security, and punishment—and why those arguments largely fall apart under scrutiny. The episode features real stories from families who credit these visits with keeping them together and asks why America is uniquely moving backwards on prisoner family visitation compared to most Western democracies.