A conjugal visit is a scheduled period in which an inmate of a prison or jail is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor, usually their legal spouse. The parties may engage in sexual activity. The generally recognized basis for permitting such visits in modern times is to preserve family bonds and increase the chances of success for a prisoner 's eventual return to life after release from prison. (Conjugal visits, 2015). Conjugal visit allow inmates to have intimate contact with their spouses in an effort to promote rehabilitation, strengthen family ties, encourage good behavior and improvement, and reduce recidivism for those not serving life sentences. In the early 1990s, there were 17 states within the United State