Prisoner Visitation and Support
Encyclopedia
Prisoner Visitation and Support is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. PVS visitors visit prisoners in the United States
Federal Prison system
and Military prisons
. They offer companionship and friendship, with no religious or other agenda. Their particular focus is prisoners who don't receive regular visits, are facing long sentences, and/or are in solitary confinement
.
PVS visitors come from a variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds, and the organization is supported by a wide variety of religious groups.
Prisoner Visitation and Support was founded in 1968 by long-time prison visitors and activists Fay Honey Knopp and Bob Horton in part as a support to conscientious objectors in the Federal system. As the Vietnam
era ended and conscientious objectors were released, the group's mission expanded to embrace all federal and military prisoners in need of support and visitation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Federal Prison system
Prisons in the United States
Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment and/or rehabilitation for the commission of felony and other offenses. The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. At year-end 2009 it was 743 adults incarcerated per 100,000...
and Military prisons
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
. They offer companionship and friendship, with no religious or other agenda. Their particular focus is prisoners who don't receive regular visits, are facing long sentences, and/or are in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
.
PVS visitors come from a variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds, and the organization is supported by a wide variety of religious groups.
Prisoner Visitation and Support was founded in 1968 by long-time prison visitors and activists Fay Honey Knopp and Bob Horton in part as a support to conscientious objectors in the Federal system. As the Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
era ended and conscientious objectors were released, the group's mission expanded to embrace all federal and military prisoners in need of support and visitation.