Prisoner Visitation and Support

If you are a visitor, share your personal stories and experiences of visiting. If you have other friends and followers that you think will share our posts, please tag them!

PVS volunteer visitors are at the heart of our organization, as they further our mission each day in prisons across the country. By giving just one day a month to their work with PVS, they offer the invaluable gift of human contact to those left isolated by the prison system.

Find out if prison visiting is right for you!

Prisoner Visitation and Support Prisoner Visitation and Support (PVS) is a volunteer visitation program to federal and military prisoners throughout the United States.

Find out if prison visiting is right for you! www.prisonervisitation.org

As National Volunteer Week draws to a close, we want to give another special thank you to all of our volunteers. Visiting those incarcerated in federal and military prisons across the country may feel like a drop in the ocean, but that is all it takes to make a difference!

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK!!

PVS is proud to thank and celebrate our PVS Volunteers for all of their hard work and dedication to keeping the mission and focus alive for those who are incarcerated.

Every visit and letter count to those who are in need of our support!! Big thank you for your commitment to helping others!!

If you would like to learn more about what PVS does and how we support those who are incarcerated, please check out www.prisonervisitation.org .

Congratulations to The Marshall Project for their award-winning coverage of the criminal justice system in America. It's important that issues affecting people incarcerated in the nation's jails and prisons not get overlooked.

The Marshall Project Wins Prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence This is the third time the news site has won for the breadth and ambition of its coverage.

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK IS APRIL 21th - 27th

Even though we are thankful for our volunteers every day, we want to give a special shout out to them this week for ! PVS has over 280 volunteer visitors across the country, each one giving their time to visit those incarcerated in federal and military prisons, most of whom do not get any other outside visitors.

April is "Second Chance Act" month. We're proud to be a part of many people's second chance journeys. Visit www.prisonervisitation.org to find out how you can be, too!

Recognizing the Second Chance Act A promise of new beginnings

CALL TO ACTION:

FCI Aliceville
Aliceville, Alabama

FCI Alabama is a low security facility + a minimum-security satellite camp which houses over 1,500 women. We currently have a waiting list of those who have requested visits, but no active volunteers.
If you think you would be a good fit for PVS and live near Aliceville, Alabama, please reach out! If you don't live near Aliceville but still want to help, share this post! You can find an application on our website, or reach out to our Program Manager Emily Cashell at [email protected]

While those being interviewed are talking about working with the Australian prison system, the concerns they raise are being seen across the globe. All the studies say the same thing: having regular face to face visits from those on the outside not only reduces the risk of reoffending, but also lessens negative and sometimes violent interactions between both staff and other prisoners and can help reduce the onset of mental health problems.

Visiting relatives in prison isn't always easy. So what needs changing? - ABC listen Prison visits from relatives have proven to have a positive effect on the prisoner, both in jail and upon release. Keeping these connections may hold the key to seeing those incarcerated become less likely to reoffend in the future. But the visiting process can be fraught according to research from....

Encouraging news after a dark time for people incarcerated in prisons across the country.

Bureau Of Prisons Releases Encouraging Study On CARES Act The Bureau of Prisons released a report on the successes of the CARES Act home confinement actions that placed thousands of inmates at home. It was a success.

An intimate look at one California state prison's hospice unit - great work from our friends at the Ear Hustle podcast.

How one California prison is trying to mitigate the fears and unknowns of dying inside prison.
Listen to the new episode, out now on Apple Podcasts: https://buff.ly/3vgzLOD

Illustration by Damien Linnane

In The Marshall Project's quarterly publication, "News Inside," issue 16 highlights women’s experiences in the U.S. criminal justice system.

In News Inside, Glimpses of Women’s Lives Behind Bars Issue 16 highlights women’s experiences in the U.S. criminal justice system.

This , remember the over 10,000 * women currently incarcerated in the federal prison system.

(This number does not take into account transgender women in men's facilities, or those in women's facilities who identify as trans or gender nonconforming.)

Please follow us for more information at prisonervisitation.org

Coming soon to your local PBS station: "Returning Citizens: Life Beyond Incarceration." From PBS: "America jails more people than any other country in the history of the world. For many, just one arrest is enough to get caught up in the system. When they’re released back into society after their debt has been paid, often, they are offered no opportunities and no hope. But there are some who do break through, who do get a hand, who do get help. Returning Citizens tells their story." See your local listings to find out when it will show in your area!

CALL TO ACTION:

FCI Milan
Milan, Michigan
(about16 miles from Ann Arbor)

FCI Milan is a low security facility which houses over 1,500 people, and we currently have a waiting list of those who have reqeusted visits.
If you think you would be a good fit for PVS and live near Milan, Michigan, please reach out! If you don't live near Milan but still want to help, share this post! You can find an application on our website, or reach out to our Program Manager Emily Cashell at [email protected]

We're so proud to have Dr. Esther Zeledon on the PVS Board of Directors! The author of "Creating Your Limitless Life," Esther is also helping us recharge and refine our strategic plan. We are grateful to be part of her limitless life!

‘We Need To Throw Out the American Dream and Change the Narrative,’ Dr. Esther Zeledon on Creating Her Limitless Life and Sparking a Social Movement Dr. Esther Zeledón is a master of making dreams work and embodies the resilient spirit of a Latina immigrant in the quest for the new American Dream.

Consider becoming a PVS visitor and help people who are incarcerated prepare to return home. You'll be glad you did! www.prisonervisitation.org.

CALL TO ACTION:

FCC Tucson
Tucson, Arizonia

With over 1,500 people incarcerated in three facilities, FCC Tucson has a consistently long waiting list for those wanting visits.
If you think you would be a good fit for PVS and live near Tucson, Arizona, please reach out! You can find an application on our website, or reach out to our Program Manager Emily Cashell at [email protected]

Bureau of Prisons Director Peters released a "transformational framework" for the Bureau earlier this week. We hope that increased staffing levels can be achieved to allow for more focus on visiting, education, and other support for people incarcerated in federal prisons.

Reforming the Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Peters Unveils Transformational Framework

Thank you to all of the PVS Coordinators for the important role that you play.

As a reminder we are kicking off our first 2024 Coordinator Meeting tonight at 7pm Est.

Please check your emails for the Zoom link information!

Thank you!

We're proud of PVS Board Member Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, who continues to bring attention, love and light to people incarcerated across the country, and those returning back to their communities. He has a new podcast too, available wherever you get your podcasts!

We were honored to welcome legendary civil rights attorney Steven Bright as our featured speaker at our recent training conference, and thankful for the introduction from PVS visitor and supporter Jean and John Rosenberg. Thanks for being part of the PVS family! www.prisonervisitation.org

The research is clear, visitation, mail and other forms of contact between incarcerated people and their families, mentors and volunteers have a positive effect. We see increase in better health, behavior and reduced recidivism.

Find out more! www.prisonervisitation.org