Family contact and imprisonment

1. Mark Heybourne, Development Manager
Action for Prisoners’ Families

2. The national federation of services supporting the families of prisoners
Since 1990 we have been working to raise awareness of the impact
imprisonment has on children and families of prisoners.
We promote the just treatment of prisoners’ families and call for all
voluntary and statutory agencies to respond to the needs of prisoners’
children and families. We work to enable families to become more
visible to policy makers and to have their voices heard
www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk

3. Some examples of best practice in the UK of work with families of
prisoners located here in the North East region:
NEPACS – founder members of Action for Prisoners’ Families
• Acklington & Castington Family & Friends Support Centre (the first
centre to accurately reflect its activities in it’s name!)
• Special Children’s Visits
• Youth Activity Room in Durham (only one in the country)
Also
•The groundbreaking work of Kay Lewin and the other Family Link
Officers in Durham
• The LINKS Initiative at HMP Frankland (involving families in treatment
and targets)
•Holme House Visitor Centre
www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk

4. KEY FACTS
• 150,000 children have a parent in prison every year
• An estimated 7% of the child population in England
and Wales will experience the imprisonment of their
parent during their school career.
• 55% of male prisoners are living with a partner before
imprisonment
• 66% of women prisoners have dependent children
under 18
• 25% of young offenders are fathers
• 45% of prisoners have lost contact with their families
• 22% of prisoners who were married on imprisonment
are now divorced or separated.
Sources: Reducing Reoffending by Ex-prisoners: SEU, 2002 and Reducing Re-offending: National Action Plan 2004

5. “When he got arrested it caused loads
of fights in the family. Mum didn’t
know until someone told her. I felt
upset at first, and I missed him all the
time. But I was ashamed and didn’t
want to tell people. We never got any
information from anyone, where he
was or telling us what was happening.”
15 year old male, father in prison
No One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

6. “At the time, I couldn’t accept it, couldn’t
cope, but I think now it’s hit me – but not
bam, oh my God! It’s slowly caught up with
me and I can see myself changed quite
badly. I’m like a whirlpool, I know no
direction anymore. I used to be happy go
lucky, had lots of friends, loved the career I
had and now I’ve become a recluse,
depressed, socially phobic, I’ve got no
confidence. I’ve lost a lot of self-respect”
‘Anna’ from Sentenced Families
Gill Pugh, Ormiston Trust)

8. “It makes you feel horrible, like you have done
something too. They watch you and make you
feel guilty just for being there. They search you
and make you take your shoes off and you feel
stupid and it is horrible. You don’t get used to it.
You sit there waiting for them to call you.
And you feel ashamed.”
14 year old female, brother in prison
No One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

9. ‘‘All week, he’ll (6 yr old son) be going ,All week, he’ll (6 yr old son) be going ,
“wanna see Dad!” And when we get“wanna see Dad!” And when we get
there within 15 min’s he’s bored. Hethere within 15 min’s he’s bored. He
wants to go to the toilet and they don’twants to go to the toilet and they don’t
let them use the toilets while you are inlet them use the toilets while you are in
the visits, so it’s either, make him wait,the visits, so it’s either, make him wait,
or get up and walk out and you’ve lostor get up and walk out and you’ve lost
the rest of the visit!’the rest of the visit!’
‘Michelle’ from Sentenced Families
(Gill Pugh, Ormiston Trust)

10. “To keep his interest in the family so he doesn’t
forget us, so he doesn’t forget that we exist.
But also to let him know that we care”
(13 year old male, step-father in prison)
“She mustn’t think we don’t love her. She
might harm herself again if she
thinks we don’t love her”
(15 year old female, mother in prison)
No One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

12. What is family friendly?
Family friendly is concerned with the benefits for
everyone; bringing children and parents and human
values back into the heart of planning and services.
It’s about the big things and the small details – from
government policy to a Lego or K’NEX table in a visit’s
area – looking at what will make life better for families
on a day-to-day basis and on a long-term basis.
Family and Parenting Institute

13. We are working to be
more family friendly by:
welcoming parents, children and young people
finding ways to make our services more family friendly
striving to make our premises safe, stimulating and
comfortable for parents, children and young people
valuing and supporting the role parents play in nurturing the
next generation
Create partnerships with the prison service to
become more family friendly

15. “While the importance of families in the effective
resettlement of prisoners has long been
recognised, there has been a lack of clear
evidence. These results show that family and
friends were the most common means of
prisoners finding ETE on release.
Moreover, family/partner visits made it more
likely that a prisoner would have ETE and
accommodation arranged on release. If levels of
ETE and accommodation outcomes are to be
significantly increased, further efforts may be
required to maintain and increase the frequency
and quality of contact between prisoners and
their families.”
Home Office RDS Findings Resettlement Outcomes on release from Prison 2003

17. “I believe passionately that a person
with a stake in society, something to
look forward to, an opportunity to
reach out, is far more likely to be a
responsible member of society than
someone without such a life chance.’
Tony Blair, 2006 Criminal Justice Bill

18. “I believe that we sometimes fail to
give enough emphasis to the
powerful impact of supportive
relationships to prisoners….an
offender is much less likely to re-
offend if he feels part of a family and
community, from which he receives
support as well as owes obligations.’
Charles Clark, 2005, PRT Lecture

19. The need to talk less
and do more.
"Blair's premiership has to be seen overall as a
positive record in terms of intentions, ideas and
direction although we still have a long way to
go in order to make Britain a truly family
friendly society.
Mary Macleod, Family & Parenting Institute 2007
Could the same be said for NOMS & The Children
and Families Pathway?

20. www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk
mark@actionpf.org.uk