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In light of the fact that the prison service more regularly encourages family visits and understands that maintaining good family ties reduces reoffening, this research explores the views and experiences of 30 prisoner's families, 16 prisoners and 14 prison staff around visits to a particular local Category B prison. Qualitative information was collected as part of a wider evaluation of the prison visitors centre. The findings show that three parties view visiting very differently: families see it as emotionally strenuous and practically complex, prisoners see visits as the highlight of their time inside whereas staff focus on the potential security breaches. Importantly for us, the research shows that prisoners did not want their children to see them and that parents would elaborately 'cover up' the imprisonment. In light of research which shows that children who visit their imprisoned parents have a better sense of wellbeing, a recommendation is made by Woodall and Dixley around professionals supporting the sensitive disclosure of the imprisonment of their parent.
Read about The significance of 'the visit' below:
