Better parenting support in prison could reduce re-offending, report suggests

Better parenting support initiatives in prisons and communities could improve outcomes for children with a parent in prison and could help cut re-offending rates, according to a new report.

Research conducted on behalf of the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) looked at the experiences of families affected by having a member in jail and said family-orientated programmes could help them while the inmate is in prison and after their release.

The report, entitled Prisoners Returning Home: Prisoners and Family Reintegration Project, was written by Dr Kieran O’Dwyer, Sharron Kelliher and James Bowes and includes input from inmates of Castlerea Prison and Loughan House.

It found examples of good practice and assistance for families, but also shortcomings, including in the level of support made available to families when the person who has been serving the sentence is released.

In one case study, a woman who had just given birth by C-Section described the circumstances of her partner seeing their child: "So, he was let out and I thought he was coming up with the chaplain.

No, he came up I think with six guards and he was in handcuffs, but they had him in like a little separate room at the top of the stairs and I had to bring the baby down.

According to the report, nobody had told either of them that this was going to be the nature of the visit and afterwards the woman said she went back to her bed and "‘cried her eyes out’ with disappointment and embarrassment".

Another woman quoted in the report said: "you do feel like you are alone when your partner is in prison and you are doing a sentence yourself.”

The report highlighted the positive role played by many prison officers and how overnight releases are provided to help inmates and their family acclimatise to release.

The report also focussed on the contrast between standard and family visits, the importance of consistent, quality contact with children, the value of staggered home visits, the harm of poor communication, the importance of getting on with prison officers and the potential positive impact of parenthood on a prisoner.

It said there was a need for child-friendly policies and access, pre-release preparation, as well as release and post-release support, especially meeting family re-integration needs and awareness-raising programmes, including for prison staff.

It also referred to the difficulties and tensions that can emerge in a household when someone returns from prison and referred to previous research that found that prisoners who have good bonds with their families on release are 38% less likely to re-offend than those who don’t.

The report referred to programmes operated by the Child and Family Agency including Meitheal, and Tusla's co-ordination role. "However prisoner families are reluctant to engage with Tusla because of its association with child protection and the service depends on initiation by the family," it said, adding there were similar issues with family welfare conferencing.

As for the development of a potential service by the Irish Prison Service, the report said "disadvantages attaching to this option include a likely reluctance on the part of prisoners and their families to engage after release and the associated significant extension of the role of prison officers into the community".

Instead the report recommends either an extended role for an existing independent “through-the-gate” service such as the Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities (IASIO) or a new community-based service operating along lines similar to Bedford Row in Limerick.

CDI CEO Marian Quinn said: "It became clear that the basis for successful reintegration should start as soon as imprisonment begins."

- You can read the report in full here