I don’t consider myself a talkative person, but my family might disagree. Even with a degree in journalism and a podcast, I feel like most of my conversations are in the written word rather than the spoken word.
When I do have a conversation with a friend, I prefer to dig into an interesting topic rather than suffer through idle small talk. It might be because I’m a marijuana user, but I like to dig into often-avoided topics like politics and religion. I also like to talk about philosophy, sociology and history.
When I’m in goofy mode, I do enjoy talking about movies, TV, and other pop culture topics. I always tell anyone who will listen to the latest great TV show I binge.
Of course, these are my favorite things to talk about in the free world. But, after four years in prison, did I feel the same way? When I was in prison, I looked forward to every visit with friends and family, but they weren’t always easy.
Which brings me to today’s blog post: What do you talk about when you visit someone in prison?
In this blog post, I will cover the following topics:
- No topic is off-limits during prison visits
- Visitation is extremely important to inmates
- What do you talk about with your children during prison visits?
- What do you talk about with your significant other during prison visits?
No topic is off-limits during prison visits
There’s really no right or wrong when it comes to visiting someone in jail or prison. The topic of the conversation depends largely on the type of relationship you have with the prisoner and the reason for the visit. However, it is important to keep the conversation as calm and enjoyable as possible so that everyone can leave the visit feeling satisfied with the experience.
There are so many things a person can talk about on a visitation, anything in prison or outside of prison will do. A dialogue is a dialogue. Visitation allows prisoners to stay close to those they care about and enables them to share their lives, even if they cannot be with you every day.
Whether you’re talking about the weather or the meatloaf you made for dinner last night, no topic is off-limits. Obviously, your conversation will vary depending on who you visit. Where you are in this person’s life will determine the direction of the conversation.
Visitation is extremely important to inmates
Visitation is very important to the physical and mental health of prisoners, but it is also extremely important to their friends and family. They help maintain a sense of normalcy and connection between people who care about each other, and visitation keeps everyone updated on what’s going on in each other’s lives.
No topic is off-limits, although constantly berating prisoners for bad decisions might not be the best time to talk. It only hurts the prisoner’s self-worth, not improves the relationship. However, telling inmates how their behavior has made you feel or affected your life is perfectly acceptable and should be encouraged as it can improve the relationship.
What do you talk about with your children during prison visits?
I don’t have kids, but inmates say anything their kids want to talk about is perfect. Being an incarcerated parent is especially difficult because they miss their child’s life so much and they are eager to know the details of their child’s day-to-day life. They want their kids to sing to them, draw them, hug them (many times), and be themselves.
What do you talk about with your significant other during prison visits?
If your significant other is incarcerated, you must be completely honest about all your feelings, good and bad. It’s also a good idea to share your expectations for a future relationship.
If you feel hurt or scared, be open about how you feel and ask your partner to do the same. When a significant other is incarcerated, time apart can be the perfect opportunity for any type of relationship to develop. This is also a safe time to end unhealthy and abusive relationships.
No matter who you are or who you choose to visit in a correctional institution, always try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and be as loving and supportive as possible.
You don’t have to love everything someone does in order to love the person behind the mistake. Forgiveness is about you and your healing, unconditional love has the power to change lives.
Do you have any good prison visitation stories? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: My own personal experience Interview with WERDCC inmates