Conjugal Visits
The Issue:
Currently, only five prisons within Victoria allow conjugal visits, but it is not permitted in the rest of Australia.
Eligibility for a conjugal visit:
- prisoner has to be a minimum or medium-security inmate
- prisoner is serving a sentence of 18 months or more
- visitors has to be on the approved visitor’s list and has been screened
Why it needs to be addressed:
Visiting an incarcerated patient breaks down the social isolation of detainees by providing physical, mental, and emotional support. By maintaining adequate connections with the outside world, is an essential right for any patient isolated with limited human contact. Many other countries allow conjugal visits including Brazil, Canada, France and Mexico.
Extra Links and Resources
Find further information on the Justice Action website.
Reasons to Allow Conjugal Visits:
- Experts believe allowing inmates to have intimate contact with partners during conjugal visits can reduce levels of sexual prison violence.
- Extended family visits can be massively beneficial in helping inmates maintain family relationships. Family relationships have been identified by experts and authorities alike as being crucial for reintegration into society and reduced recidivism. Reduced recidivism is good for convicted criminals, their loved ones and community safety.
- Victoria permits conjugal visits only for selected prisoners, at the discretion of the prison governor. This means conjugal visits serve as an incentive for the good behaviour of prisoners.
- Advocates for conjugal prison visits believe that they represent a fundamental human right that does not need to be removed during imprisonment. The UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners states that “except for those limitations that are demonstrably necessitated by the fact of incarceration, all prisoners shall retain the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”