Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul) has sponsored a bill, HF3761, aimed at increasing prison visitations to improve post-release outcomes for inmates. The bill is based on a Minnesota study showing lower recidivism rates among inmates who received visitors. It suggests that medical and mental health professionals should have unrestricted visitation rights, similar to lawyers. A task force would identify the professionals eligible for this.

The House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee has deferred the bill after hearing testimonies from ex-inmates and Department of Corrections officials. The bill also aims to address the challenges limiting prisoner visitations, proposing that visitation rules should be designed to maximize inmate visitations.

Two ex-inmates, Zeke Caligiuri and Holly Kathleen Bot, emphasized the importance of visits from family and friends. They discussed the difficulties visitors encounter, including rigorous questioning and searches. Bot attributed her successful post-release life to regular visits from her family and friends.

The bill also suggests that prisons should not restrict the number of inmates a visitor can meet and should not impose lifetime visitation bans on inmates. However, Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) expressed concerns about potential security risks, such as contraband smuggling.

Addressing these concerns, Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell admitted that face-to-face interactions could lead to contraband transfers. However, he noted that new technologies like full-body scanners in Minnesota prisons are effective at preventing smuggling.