Humans are social beings who need human interaction and social support to thrive. Incarcerated individuals lose access to the freedoms of society and depend on visits from friends and family to stay connected with the outside world—a world that 95 percent of the incarcerated population will eventually return to. Here are five reasons that visitation with your incarcerated loved one supports their reentry success.

1. Reduced Recidivism Rates

Studies show a 26 percent reduction in recidivism for residents who receive visitors during their incarceration compared to those who do not receive visitors. Clergy, mentors, friends, children, siblings and parents can play a critical role in helping their incarcerated loved one witness there are people who love and cheer for them during this difficult time of their lives.

2. Family Connection

It is no secret that the incarceration of a loved one impacts the family system in a myriad of ways. If it is possible to maintain relational connection with your incarcerated loved one, where it reflects health and stability in the relationship or for the family unit, the family connection maintained through visitation serves as a method to reducing the incarcerated chances of reoffending. Emotional and affectionate attachment is offered through familial bonds, which is critical to their support upon reentry.

3. Improved Mental Health and Life Outlook

When someone is serving a prison sentence, markers of time are critically important to maintaining structure and a forward-looking outlook. Visitation can serve as one of those markers of time, with incarcerated people experiencing the joyful anticipation of seeing their friends and family when visitation arrives. This can help reinforce hope and an improved outlook on their future as they plan for brighter, better days upon reentry. And incarcerated or not, most humans thrive when there is hope for the future.

4. Positive Behavior

Prison visitation supports positive behavior outcomes for incarcerated individuals. One study shows a 25 percent reduction in misconduct for individuals who received visitors. When incarcerated individuals exhibit positive behavior, they are less likely to experience disciplinary infractions that could impact their rehabilitation goals.

5. Reintegration Support

According to this study, social support and bonds formed with visitors while incarcerated can help ease the transition for the incarcerated individual at release. These social bonds help ease the typical stressors a returning citizen anticipates when undergoing transition to the conventional world. Near-release residents usually rely heavily on the networks of the friends, family, and mentors who visit them, and these networks can be critical to employment opportunities, housing, and more.