Interview: Lucy Gampell, director, Action for Prisoners' Families - Generational divide
Katie Daubney
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
According to Lucy Gampell, at least seven per cent of children will experience the imprisonment of a parent. "That is beside all those who will see another family member go to prison," she says.
"The big challenge now is to get people to take this seriously. In the Children's Plan, there is only one paragraph about this and it refers to parents, not children. The Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families have recognised the problem, but they have not committed themselves."
When Gampell joined Action for Prisoners' Families in 1993 after studying criminology, the charity was known as the Federation of Prisoners' Families Support Groups and had little recognition or profile.
"We have changed a great deal since then," she says. "We have a higher profile and are nationally recognised. The reason we have been successful is because we have always been innovative. We haven't been afraid to try out new things."
Gampell is currently campaigning for family-friendly prison visits. "Families are the key to preventing reoffending," she says. "They motivate inmates, and separation from families is often the hardest part of being in prison. If a prisoner has a home to go back to, they will not be homeless, which is in itself a cause of a lot of crime. Jobs are also found through families, addressing the issue of unemployment."
Action for Prisoners' Families has been campaigning for family days in prisons for several years. "In the first year we had 45 prisons taking part, and in 2006 we had 67. We hope for a further increase."
She continues: "Families are completely in the dark about what is on offer. They don't understand the system and they need information, but there is a lack of support."
Children of prisoners also suffer. Gampell says those working with children need training on the issue.
"The life chances of children are improved if there is information and support for both the child and their carer," she says. "These families are often already excluded and living in poverty. They often don't seek support because they are ashamed. Professionals in the childcare sector need specific training and core curriculum training should cover issues for children of prisoners."
Gampell says it has been recognised that children of prisoners often experience the same feelings as those who lose a parent. However, when a parent returns from prison the process can be fraught with fear and anxiety. "Often prisoners have been away for years. Everyone has changed, the children have grown up and the remaining parent has different responsibilities."
She adds: "I hear so many cases of a relationship surviving an imprisonment but not the return home. The prisoner gets supervision, but not support, and there is nothing to help the family adjust."
She is also critical of recent play initiatives set up by the government, which she warns should be taken with a pinch of salt. "I spoke at a conference recently where justice minister David Hanson said how fantastic it was that 100 prisons now have designated play areas. However, prisoners are not allowed into these areas, and this is demoralising for them. They should be encouraged to maintain the parenting role, but it's so difficult."
To address the problem Gampell says prisoners should be placed as near to their home as possible.
"There is finally recognition of the importance of maintaining family ties and the damage that can be done to children and families if they are not," she says. "But there is a long way to go before children and families in this situation receive support and protection."
BACKGROUND - LIFE CHANCES OF CHILDREN OF PRISONERS
According to Lucy Gampell, the life chances of children of prisoners would improve if:
- When sentencing prisoners, the impact this will have on their families is kept in mind, so they are sent to prisons not so far away that families are unable to visit regularly
- All teachers and childcare professionals should undergo training to deal with the issues affecting children of prisoners
- Prisons should make provision for family-friendly visits in order to maintain, as far as possible, the parenting role of prisoners and the link with their families
- www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk.