NCJ Number
143101
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the background, based on children's rights, of To Save the Children's support for the extended visits scheme for children of female inmates at Holloway Prison in the United Kingdom; it then examines some of the research on similar schemes in other countries before briefly exploring the link between practice and future policy developments in this area.
Abstract
The author concludes, based on international statements of children's rights, that it is the right of children to maintain meaningful and frequent contact with their imprisoned parents. Research has also shown that failure to maintain such contact has serious negative consequences for parent and child bonding after release. Extended visits for children with their inmate parents at prisons is one way to facilitate this contact. Existing research indicates that extended visits for children of imprisoned parents is an important component in a program designed to prevent family breakdown and postrelease family problems. There are lessons to be learned from international research about the conditions associated with such visits. The Holloway extended visits scheme has had a significant positive impact on policy changes in this area in the United Kingdom. It deserves monitoring and evaluation, so as to provide an optimal model for similar schemes to be developed at other female and male prisons. 20 references