Playwork in prison as a mechanism to support family health and well-being

Abstract

Objective: The health of the prison population has become an increasing concern, given the disproportionate rates of ill health in this population. Moreover, the challenges faced by prisoners' families and their children are also becoming more apparent, with prisoners' children being more likely than other children to experience mental and emotional health problems and more likely to go to prison themselves. Prison visits are an integral part of institutional structures and are a key way by which families stay in contact and mitigate against the negative effects of family separation. This paper focuses particularly on the impact of prison play visits as an alternative to 'standard' visiting procedures. Design: Cross-sectional qualitative study. Setting: A male prison in Northern England. Method: Telephone interviews with six prison visitors who had regularly participated in a play visit, plus a focus group with five prisoners. Results: The paper identifies play visits as a useful way to maintain family well-being as they 'mimic', albeit temporarily, domestic life. This is reported to be beneficial for future family outcomes and in enabling children to adjust to parental incarceration. Play visits improve levels of intimacy, which is beneficial for the mental and emotional health both of prisoners and their children. Conclusion: The paper argues for a more holistic notion of prisoner health that sees family connections as a key part of supporting health and well-being.

Improving Outcomes for Children Affected by Parental Involvement with the Criminal Justice System in Scotland

“…The needs and experiences of families of those involved in the criminal justice system has gained increasing visibility in both academia and policy over the last decade (Booth, 2020;Condry & Minson, 2020;Hutton & Moran, 2019;Lockwood et al, 2021;Woodall & Kinsella, 2017). However, the focus of this work has been directed primarily toward the families of those in prison.…”

“…For example, in England and Wales, increasing policy interest has been directed toward the importance of familial contact during custody and the role of children and families of prisoners in reducing reoffending (Farmer, 2017;HMIP, 2016); with the social capital that they can provide considered vital in supporting effective resettlement (Booth, 2020). The emergent body of academic work has also brought attention to the wide range of negative impacts on those with a family member in prison (Jones & Wainaina-Wozna, 2013;Lee et al, 2014;Lanskey et al, 2019;Long et al, 2019;McGinley & Jones, 2018); with a distinct body of work identifying the specific difficulties experienced by children with a parent in prison (Jones & Wainaina-Wozna, 2013;Phillips et al, 2002;Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, 2019;Woodall & Kinsella, 2017). Despite this growing body of knowledge, significant gaps remain.…”

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

“…Despite this, the needs of families of prisoners have historically been overlooked by policy makers in the UK (Booth, 2020;Perry, 2016;Woodall and Kinsella, 2017). More recently the Farmer Review (2017) explored the role of prisoners' families as a 'resettlement agency' and a pathway to reducing re-offending.…”

‘Lockdown's changed everything’: Mothering adult children in prison in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The pandemic broke at a time when the needs and experiences of families of those in prison were gaining more visibility in both academia and policy (Booth, 2020; Woodall and Kinsella, 2017). In England and Wales, the Farmer Review (2017) concluded that prisoners’ families were the ‘golden thread’ to effective resettlement.…”

“…Equally, the increased risk of COVID to those in prison has resulted in families experiencing extreme anxieties (Testa and Fahmy, 2021). With families of prisoners across the globe equally more likely to have complex health needs themselves (Lockwood et al, 2021; Raikes et al, 2019; Woodall and Kinsella, 2017), the distress experienced is likely compounded by concerns for their own health and well-being during the pandemic.…”