Mississippi to End Conjugal Visits

After over a century, Mississippi, the first state to offer conjugal visits to prisoners, will be ending the program starting Feb. 1. Prison commissioner Christopher B. Epps said the state would no longer offer the visits due to budgetary concerns and “the number of babies being born as a result.” State Representative Richard Bennett (R) said, “I don’t think it’s fair to the children conceived and to the taxpayers. You are in prison for a reason, and conjugal visits should not be part of that deal.” Mississippi has 22,000 prisoners, the second highest rate of incarceration in the country, and 155 participated in conjugal visits last year.