Action for Prisoners’ FamiliesFamilies of Older Prisoners Seminar

11 July 2013

Barriers to communicationSandra Seldon and

Anna Haggith, Recoop

RECOOPResettlement and Rehabilitation and Care of Older

Prisoners

• Key objectives are:• To maintain a strong presence in prisons

delivering direct services especially in the South West

• To deliver a service offering continuity and realistic rehabilitation opportunities “through the gate”

• To influence policy.

Why?RECOOP was set up because• People over 50 are the fastest growing section of the prison population• Older prisoners and ex-offenders face ill health, financial, social and

housing problems• Older offenders are more likely to face social isolation, and to

have lost contact with friends and family• RECOOP works with older offenders because• The numbers of older people entering the criminal justice system

has trebled in the past twenty years• It is estimated that  approximately 10% of prisoners are aged over 50• Despite being the fastest growing section of the prison population, there is

little research, little data and information and little current provision available

• There are no specific national policies addressing the particular needs of this group

• Individual institutions and organisations often lack the resources and specialist knowledge to meet older people’s health and social care requirements

• More than 80% of older prisoners have long standing illnesses or disabilities

• Over 50% suffer from a mental disorder• 30% have a diagnosis of depression• Disabilities associated with chronic disease and lifestyle are more

common in older prisoners than older people in the community• Funding for education in prisons is often limited to people of working age

How do we know how older offenders feel about

their families

We asked them…

Contact with Families – older prisoners

We discussed:• How satisfactory is the level of current

contact with their family• What are the main issues/barriers to

contact• Individuals experience of challenges

faced by older prisoners• Types of contact – face-to-face, letters

etc

We conducted a small scale informal survey to

look at:

• Statistics around these aspects of contact

• Issues around family contact for older prisoners

• Some potential solutions to improve practice

Questions and responses ..

Questions posed to groups of prisoners –

page 1 • How many believe more contact with your families is possible

but not available? 51%

• How many have grandchildren and great-grandchildren?50%

• How many have ageing parents who are now unable to visit you? 17%

• How many times have you had contact face-to-face with your families over the past 12 months?

16% once a week84% nil contact

Questions posed – page 2

• How frequently have you had contact by letter over the past 12 months?

61%

• How many of you have experienced a dropping off in contact from family since you first came to prison? 33%

• Is distance to prison an issue? 44%

We found some common issues ..

Issues raised• Distance from home • Age of parents• Offender was carer of elderly parent before sent to prison• Grandchildren and great-grandchildren not classed as

immediate family• Elderly spouses • Poor health • Cost of transport• Cost of phone credit relative to pay (PRT looking at this)• Limits placed on cash in letters via Governors • Family life goes on, acceptance of family member gone• In some cases courts deny contact with family

Prison Reform Trust – 2008Juliet Lyon, director of Prison Reform Trust, said: 

• Prisoners staying in touch with their families is known to reduce risk, both of re-offending on release and of suicide and self-harm in prison, so it is in

everyone's interest to enable people to phone home. Prohibitive call charges may make a profit for some but they do nothing to create a safer society.

• Research suggests that prisoners are six times less likely to reoffend if they have a supportive family network to return to when they come out, and that almost half of people in prison lose contact with their families during their sentence. 

• The recent pressure of overcrowding has also meant prisoners are moved around more, usually increasing their distance from home and reducing the chance of family visits.  

• The complaint follows serious criticism of the market by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales and by prison Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs).  There have also been repeated parliamentary questions tabled on the subject with all requests to see the contracts refused.  The NCC also requested to see the contracts under the Freedom of Information Act but was refused on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

Is practice standard in relation to Family Days?

• Average of 4 per year – one a quarter• One prison has 6 per year• Prisoners with children under the age of 18

are prioritised – Adjudication and other factors are taken into account

• Sex offenders treated differently – rarely have access to family days because of risks to other families as well as their own.

• Grandparent days being considered in one prison.

Family Days

Some suggested solutions ..

Ideas to take forward?• Video Link – already available for court access• Skype- via Probation Officers/local libraries• Grandparent days - additional to existing quota – class

grandchildren as immediate family• Review Assisted Prison Visitor Scheme to speed up the

process – via a Visitor Co-ordinator• Consider moving prisoners to prisons nearer to their

families for short periods and then returning back to original prison

• Older prisoners should be provided with extended visits for elderly visitors who cannot visit often and have disabilities.(PRT/TSB)

Compassionate Leave?

So how ill must a prisoner be to have this kind of request granted?

Family contact is especially important before death for the whole family?

The power to grant early release in England and Wales is held by the Secretary of State for Justice – very few are successful – 23 from 2000-2009.

Prison Service Order 6000:

Two possible grounds for appeal are cited - a prisoner's medical condition and "tragic family circumstances". The document says: "Early release may be considered where a prisoner is suffering from a terminal illness and death is likely to occur soon. There are no set time limits, but three months may be considered to be an appropriate period". BBC Magazine/website August 2009

Capacity Building Older Prisoner solutions

• NOMS have funded this project to improve services for older offenders Nationally using the models trialled and proved by RECOOP in the SW

• Trying to implement forums/discussion groups in every establishment with a high older offender cohort – so their voices are heard

• Looking for 3rd Sector links to deliver, comparable to community based activities, a service that will allow a smooth resettlement transition

• We’ve had some success but are looking for new links

And something to consider.

• As the percentage of older offenders grows so does their need

• As older sex offenders age so do their family and children – when 18 their children may no longer be at risk. Who manages them making contact?

• Sometimes their inmates are the only family they’ve got

Can you contribute to the work we do?

Have you experience do that may assist us and contribute to development of improvements for older prisoners?

We would love to hear from you and consider ways in which we might

collaborate?Please contact us via:

Sandra.Seldon@recoop.org.ukAnna.Haggith@recoop.org.uk

Action for Prisoners’ FamiliesFamilies of Older Prisoners Seminar

11 July 2013