This report is based on research conducted in Scotland but lessons from it can be learned anywhere.
As research shows that families of imprisoned people suffer poor contact and visiting experiences, are negatively impacted upon both socially and financially and that they have a proven positive impact on resettlement and desistance from crime, all Scottish prisons appointed a Family Contact Development Officer (FCDO) in 1992. The report is based on is a mixture of questionnaires, focus groups and interviews with staff, management, prisoners and families with a particular focus on young parents. It explores the merits and drawbacks of the FCDO role by looking at selection, structure, how families and prisoners gain access to them, their role, and relationships with other staff, outreach, feedback, management and potential improvements. The report offers recommendations for improvement in light of the findings and considers ways of expanding the FCDO role to England and Wales' Criminal Justice Systems.
Learn about Scotland's Prison's FCDO's below:
