FAMILIES OUTSIDE: The Costs of Imprisonment

Families Outside has produced a short summary of the key arguments made in the book ‘Families, Imprisonment and Legitimacy: the cost of custodial penalties’.

You can read the full findings on the Families Outside website here (PDF)

in-brief.jpg

Key Points:

• Imprisonment affects a wide range of relationships. We must therefore look beyond the nuclear family and recognise anyone with whom people regularly do ‘family things’ (such as eating meals or sharing hobbies) as family. Continuing these ‘family things’, despite imprisonment, will support relationships.

• Many families who participated in this research were already living in poverty. Imprisonment entrenches this social marginalisation through the disruption caused to family life and the resources required to support a person in custody.

• Imprisonment often brings families into regular contact with criminal justice professionals. The quality of these interactions can influence perceptions of how fair the criminal justice system is.

• Families who feel the justice system is unfair may perceive themselves as less than full citizens. They may feel that criminal justice authorities are not ‘on their side’ and therefore be less motivated to comply with their demands.

The findings of this project suggest four particularly important areas for policy and practice development:

1. Maximising opportunities to do family things.
2. Relieving the burdens on families.
3. Providing opportunities for positive interactions between families and professionals.
4. Working towards penal reductionism.