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HOTaco1837
HOTaco1837
07.05.2021 • 
English

What is the Main idea. WASHINGTON – Starting next month, prisoners in Mississippi will no longer be legally allowed to get busy behind bars.

Citing the cost of cleanup and other expenses, and unexpected pregnancies, the first state in the country to allow its inmates conjugal visits will be ending its program Feb. 1. The decision to wind down the century-old practice came after Republican state Rep. Richard Bennett threatened to reintroduce a bill that would end the visits for good.

“As conservative as Mississippi is, it does surprise me that we were the birthplace of conjugal visits,” Bennett told FoxNews.com Monday. “Having these visits is not my idea of family bonding.”

Instead of waiting on Mississippi lawmakers, state Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps decided to shut down the program himself at the end of the month.

Conjugal visits, sometimes called extended family visits, are provided on a state-by-state basis and are not offered on a federal level. Inmates who are eligible usually have immaculate records in prison and are within a year of their release. Health checks are provided before a visit is approved.

Mississippi is among the six remaining states that still allow prisoners private time with their families and significant others. In 1993, 17 states had some type of conjugal program. Now, the programs only exist in Mississippi, California, Connecticut, New Mexico, New York and Washington.

In Mississippi and California, inmates meeting must be legally married. In 2007, California made conjugal visits available to same-sex couples who are in a civil union or married. New York followed suit in 2011.

In other states like Washington, the inmate must pay a $10-per-night fee for the use of a semi-private setting.

In Mississippi, eligible inmates are given one hour for a conjugal visit in a private area. They are issued soap, tissues, sheets, pillowcases and condoms, the Mississippi Department of Corrections told FoxNews.com.

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