Why we must support the families of prisoners.
Our good friend John Lewis from our excellent grassroots community partner “The Ebb” have brought out a must read report on how support for the families of prisoners must be improved. All too often families of prisoners are the invisible and forgotten victims of the criminal justice system and the research shows the impact of having a family member in prison can have a devastating and traumatic effect on families, especially children.
So, this timely and much needed report sets out a range of practical issues and questions which needs to be addressed. The report recognises four factors that appear to impact on most prisoners’ families:
- Emotional distress
- Stigma
- Financial distress
- The need for empowerment
We need to ensure that actions undertaken for the children of prisoners, does not add to their burden or stigma, but instead bolsters them
We are committed to supporting the excellent work of the Ebb and other agencies who are working locally to raise awareness of these issues amongst organisations such as schools, youth clubs, probation, and community groups and would recommend that everyone working in such agencies reads this report.