A double-edged sword: Children’s experiences of visiting a parent in prison in Scotland

Kelly Lockwood,Kathryn Sharratt,Nancy Loucks,Tony Long,Ben Raikes

doi:10.1177/02645505211025592

Kelly Lockwood, Kathryn Sharratt + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505211025592

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Abstract

Prison visits are recognised as an important feature of a humane prison system, providing important benefits for prisoners and their family in maintaining ties (McCarthy and Adams, 2017). Scotland has a history of penal welfarism and a right-based agenda in relation to visits (McCarthy and Adams, 2017); however, there is a lack of research that focuses on visits in the context of Scottish prisons. Equally, there is limited research that considers the perspective of children visiting a parent in custody. This paper explores the experiences of children visiting a parent in prison in Scotland, highlighting lessons for policy and practice.

Highlights

Scotland’s prison population has grown in recent years, with around 8,000 people in custody at any time (Scottish Prison Service, 2020)
With high levels of social inequality disproportionately distributed within its prison population (McCarthy and Adams, 2017), specific recognition of the needs and experiences of children with a parent in prison in Scotland is merited as these families are more likely to have multiple disadvantages and complex needs (Phillips and Erkanli, 2008)
Previous research has highlighted the importance of prison visits; yet, as noted by Hutton (2016) such research has tended to focus on visits in relation to their capacity to influence successful resettlement and reduce reoffending

Summary

Introduction

Scotland’s prison population has grown in recent years, with around 8,000 people in custody at any time (Scottish Prison Service, 2020). Each year in Scotland around 20–27,000 children experience the imprisonment of a parent (Scottish Government, 2017a). Contact during custody is critical to the maintenance of family ties, facilitating prisoner well-being, reducing prison infractions, encouraging adjustment to prison life, and supporting successful resettlement (Raikes and Lockwood, 2019; McCarthy and Adams, 2017; Woodall and Kinsella, 2017). The experience of children visiting a parent in prison is explored less in academic research. With high levels of social inequality disproportionately distributed within its prison population (McCarthy and Adams, 2017), specific recognition of the needs and experiences of children with a parent in prison in Scotland is merited as these families are more likely to have multiple disadvantages and complex needs (Phillips and Erkanli, 2008). Drawing on a wider study exploring the experiences of children with a parent involved in the criminal justice system in Glasgow, this paper addresses gaps in knowledge to explore the experiences of children visiting a parent in prison in Scotland

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