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Investor Programme - Aim 2
Support for Prisoners' Families
The aim is to improve the quality of life of families with a member or members in prison, through the provision of services responsive to their needs
The objectives of this aim are:
- To support family members visiting a family member in custody through provision of services at visitors' centres
- To promote strong family relationships between a family member in custody and their family
- To highlight the impact of having a parent in custody to policy makers and other relevant stakeholders such as employers and schools
- To carry out research in support of the above objectives.
The UK prison population is at its highest level, which means that not only are there more people in custody, but as a result, there are more prisoners' families.
When a loved one is sent to prison it can be devastating for the family who usually receive little help, support or information about what will happen to their loved one, how to contact them and how to live without them, which is particularly an issue if the offender is the main earner for the family. The punishment for a prisoner's family can be equally hard as it is for the offender, even though they have committed no crime.
Families often feel isolated and are made to carry the stigma of their loved one's offence. They can be and are often ostracised by neighbours, friends and their community. Children of prisoners can experience bullying in school as a result of a family member's imprisonment. This in itself can lead to truancy and antisocial behaviour and form part of a cycle of offending within families.
Statistics relating to Prisoners' Families:
- Prisoners are up to 6 times less likely to re-offend if they maintain strong family ties whilst in prison. To do this and be able to rebuild their lives after imprisonment they and their families need support
- Prisoners are often imprisoned many miles from home making it difficult to maintain relationships with their families
- Over 135,000 people are committed to custody each year in England and Wales, leaving behind innocent parents, partners, children and other family members to share the stigma
- Imprisonment often compounds the risk of further offending within the same family
- Approximately 150,000 children in England and Wales experience the imprisonment of a parent each year
- 7% of the school population will experience the imprisonment of a parent sometime during their education
- 66% of women prisoners have dependant children. For the majority, this will be the first time they have been separated from one another
- 43% of sentenced prisoners lose contact with their family as a result of imprisonment
Helping families to maintain a strong relationship with their loved one in prison reduces the chance of the prisoner re-offending and can reduce the impact of separation on their children. This helps create a more secure environment, which will reduce the likelihood of the offenders' children becoming offenders themselves. Supporting prisoners' families therefore helps to break cycles of re-offending.
There are many problems a family will face when their loved one is imprisoned:
- Little information about what is happening to their loved one. e.g. where they are being sent, how to contact them, how to visit them, how they will be treated etc - this can be very worrying and distressful
- Prisoners are sometimes moved to different prisons often with little notice and the families are not informed. This can happen on the same day a family has travelled many miles to visit a loved one in prison.
- Visits to prison can be distressing with many hours spent waiting and intrusive searches of visitors, including children
- Visits can be uncomfortable and awkward - a prisoner is not allowed to have any physical contact with their visitors. This includes their babies and children, who often do not understand why their parent/relative will not touch or hug them.
- Families are not, as a matter of course, included in resettlement planning resulting in them being ill-prepared for the prisoner's return to the family home
- The effects on children can include displaying anger or defiance, low self-esteem, mental health problems and poor educational performance
Following a comprehensive selection process The Nationwide Foundation selected six prisoners' families charities to be supported through this aim of the Investor Programme.
The Investor Programme offers each of the six selected charities long term, flexible, core funding with a grant of up to £150,000 over three years. The charities supported are:
Action for Prisoners' Families promotes the just treatment of prisoners' families by the prison system and society across the UK. The Nationwide Foundation is funding them with core costs to allow them to develop further including producing information and resources and undertaking awareness-raising and training for professionals. In particular they will embark on a three year programme to help address the specific needs of women in prison.
The Castle Gate Family Trust supports visitors to HMP Gloucester offering advice and support to families of prisoners. The Nationwide Foundation is funding a court project to provide support to families from initial involvement at court, through the sentence and on release. The grant is also towards the development of a range of services to support children and towards the delivery of parenting and relationship workshops for the prisoner and their partner.
NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) works to reduce crime and its impact on people and communities. They work in communities with young people, offenders, ex-prisoners and their families. The Nationwide Foundation is contributing to the funding of the Family Links Project which helps to maintain family contacts during a period of imprisonment and to reduce the negative impact of imprisonment on children and families. Services include immediate advice and information, transport (e.g. to and from prison visits), home based child care, crèche facilities in visits and home visiting support.
Prisoners Families & Friends Service (PFFS) has been supporting the families and friends of prisoners for 40 years. Their services include a nationwide helpline, support and assistance at court, a home visiting service throughout London and a family centre in London. The Nationwide Foundation is providing core funding to allow PFFS to continue to expand the support and advice services they offer including the development of a resettlement programme to help families prepare for a prisoner's release.
SHARP (Support, Help and Advice for Relatives of Prisoners) provides confidential help, advice and friendship to the relatives and friends of those serving a sentence, awaiting trial or facing the prospect of legal action. The Nationwide Foundation is funding two support workers and associated core and office costs to allow the organisation to grow and meet the need to support more families.
Storybook Dads is based at Dartmoor Prison and provides an innovative service for prisoners' families, involving imprisoned parents being recorded on CD and DVD, reading a story to their children. Trained prisoners edit the recordings using digital software to eliminate mistakes, and add appropriate music and sound effects. The completed CD or DVD is then sent to the children of the prisoner. This has proved to be a lifeline for families, helping to maintain family ties during the period of separation. Prisoners often have poor literacy, an issue which this project also helps to address. The Nationwide Foundation is funding story writing workshops which will enhance the quality of the stories sent out. The charity will also encourage prisoners from black and minority ethnic groups to take part which will assist them with language and literacy issues.
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Site updated: 13 October 2008