Prison visitor

A prison visitor is a person who visits prisons to befriend and monitor the welfare of prisoners in general,^[1] as distinct from a person who visits a specific prisoner to whom they have a prior connection. Prisons may also have a visiting committee.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, The Prison Visit, 1797-1804.

Organizations

There are voluntary organisations of prison visitors in many jurisdictions, some of which have official recognition. Examples include:

• National Association of Official Prison Visitors in the United Kingdom
• Prisoners' Friends' Association in Hong Kong
• Prisoner Visitation and Support in the United States
• Norwegian Red Cross in Norway^[2]