Contact Equals Care: The Importance of Letters to Prisoners
| Author | Julian Kohn |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058403100411 |
| Published date | 01 December 1984 |
| Date | 01 December 1984 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Contact Equals Care: The
Importance of Letters to Prisoners
Julian Kohn
Liaison Probation Officer, Guys Marsh YCC
It has been said that the hallmark of a civilised
must be taken to establish the -exact level of the
society is the way it treats those it imprisons. As
ctient’s ability in writing letters. Through-care
one
of sooi~’s groups of professional carers, the
practitioners can then tailor their epistles according
Probation ~er~~ is in the forefront for ensuring
to the needs of their clients.
that prisoners are not forsaken. Moreover our
CQSW
courses seem
to be singularly lacking in
Service has a specific responsibility (especially for
specific training for letter writing in social work
young offenders) to maintain and foster inmates’
practice. The fact that letters can bell permanent
links with ftoutside in preparation fortheir return
record of the exchange between probation officer
to the- community. Through-carets a concept of
and client appears overlooked. Many prisoners
social work practice i s not new. But the claim by
wait longingly by their letter pigeon holes. Those
many inmates, ’my probation officer doesn’t care
fOl1tlI11tte enough to receive a regular letter often
because s/h~ rarely if ever bothers to contact me’
read and re-read their letter, holding it up as
is ~1 too familiar.
taflg>lcpfVofoftheirlkkM4m the world outside.
Before dismissing this accusation as unfounded
To them letters are very significant. When an
or unfair I think it is important to examine more
inmaœwrites a letter it is imperative that its receipt
closely one method of contact which as a medium
is acknowledged as soon as practicable and the
of through-care is at best under-used and worst
issues, problems, orquesfiom raised are answered
never
considered. I refer to the practice of writing
by the probation officer as fully and openly as
letters to clients in custody. During these times of
pos9il4m Lack of information creates uncertainty
cost-conscious policies,...
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