According to data collected by the United States Census Bureau, there were nearly 2.27 million inmates incarcerated in U.S. prisons as of 2011. Depending on the prison, specifics regarding the sentence, and the crime being punished, each prisoner is allowed certain rights and privileged as determined by the court in which he or she was convicted.

The court that handed down the original conviction for which an inmate is serving time also has the authority to modify a conviction if the criminal commits additional misdeeds while incarcerated. For convicted felons with families, prisoner visitation rights are among the most valued of the few privileges incarcerated individuals have.

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