This findings paper from HM Inspectorate of Prisons is part of a series which focuses on daily life in adult prisons and in young offender institutions holding young adults (aged 18 to 21).
The focus of the paper is the importance of prisoners maintaining relationships with family and friends. It draws on evidence from recent inspections of adult prisons and survey data from the corresponding inspection reports published between April 2015 and March 2016. The paper begins by summarising the background literature and policy around the benefits of family contact, both for prisoners and family members, and then outlines the prison services' 'Expectations' for family contact by which prisons are assessed during inspections. It then relays findings from recent inspections on various areas of contact including telephone, mail and visits (including booking and facilities for visitors).
Key findings: Half of prisoners surveyed in 2015 - 2016 stated they had children under the age of 18. Many prisoners have difficulties accessing phones due to limited numbers of available telephones and restricted times to use them. Nearly half of prisoners in 2015 - 2016 reported having difficulties sending and receiving mail, often due to slow processing. Most prisons now have an e-mail service in operation which largely works well, though 60% of prisoners have poor literacy, so written communication can bring difficulties. Only 30% of prisoners reported that it was easy to organise and receive a visit at their prison. There were varying standards of visit facilities across the estate and some prisons are still not included on the national online booking system. Though inspections generally found searching of visitors was carried out respectfully, resultant delays to the start of visits were common across the estate, reducing the overall length of time spent with the prisoner. Access to telephones, mail provisions, as well as the number of visits a prisoner can have, vary across establishments, and visiting provisions are not only dependent on the prison, but also on the prisoner's status in the IEP scheme.
Good practice is highlighted throughout the findings paper and the following key recommendations are made: All prisons should have staff with a specific family support role and this should be overseen by a senior governor. The rollout of in-cell telephones to existing prisons should continue as resources permit and all new prisons should incorporate in-cell telephones. Prisoners should be allowed to receive incoming calls from their children or their carers on a risk-assessed basis.
A pilot should be undertaken allowing risk-assessed and supervised prisoners to have family contact through social media and/or Skype. The findings should be evaluated and the results published. Restricted or limited family contact and/or support should not be used as a punishment for activities or behaviour unrelated to visits and/or family access. Prisons should consult with visitors regarding visiting arrangements in order to improve the visiting experience. Prisons should develop a strategy to help prisoners maintain and enhance their support networks. Administrative delays in admission to visits caused by prisons' own procedures and processes should not impact upon the time length of the visits.
Download and read the accessible paper below.
