Interest in prisoners' families has grown considerably in recent years as the link between family support and reduced recidivism is increasingly recognized. This article explores the potential role of prisoners' families in reducing re-offending by reviewing the research literature to assess the contribution that family ties can make to effective resettlement and desistance from crime. Like other commentators, such as Farrall (2004) and Wolff and Draine (2004), the authors draw on the concept of `social capital' to provide key insights into the importance of family relationships for encouraging desistance. Potential ways to mobilize this social capital are considered and the article concludes with reflections on the likelihood of such measures being deployed by offender managers in the current penal context, and assesses whether the shift to offender management is likely to boost recognition of prisoners' family relationships.

A number of recent research publications have reiterated the important role played by supportive family ties in facilitating the successful community re-entry of exprisoners and in preventing reoffending. This, in turn, has led to increased official recognition of the value of supporting the family ties of prisoners. However, although providing assistance to prisoners' families with reference to their role in preventing reoffending may be of value in pragmatically improving their often profoundly negative experiences, such an approach is problematic on a number of grounds. This article critically analyses the issues.

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