Striving for a “good” family visit: the facilitative role of a prison visitors’ centre
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0011 |
| Date | 05 February 2018 |
| Pages | 33-43 |
| Published date | 05 February 2018 |
| Author | James Woodall,Karina Kinsella |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Striving for a “good”family visit: the
facilitative role of a prison visitors’centre
James Woodall and Karina Kinsella
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the conditions that create a “good”prison visit, focussing
on the role that a dedicated third sector-run prison visitors’centre plays in creating a supportive environment.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper draws on a synthesis of empirical data gathering conducted
over a decade at a voluntary sector-managed prison visitors’centre based at a male prison in Northern
England. The paper draws specifically on qualitative data gathered through four independent evaluations of
the centre over a ten-year period.
Findings –An important point to emerge from the research is the unwavering importance of the prison visit in
the life, well-being and regime of a prisoner. Prison visitors’centres are shown to be an important part of
creating positive visits experiences offering a space for composure and for support for families.
Originality/value –Many voluntary sector organisations are unable to commission large research and
evaluation studies, but are often able to fund smaller pieces of work. Pooling qualitative evidence from smaller
studies is a viable way to potentially strengthen commissioning decisions in this sector.
Keywords Qualitative, Prison, Family ties, Prison visiting, Prison visitors’centre, Visitation
Paper type Research paper
Background
Prisoners consistently emphasise the importance of family connections in order to remain healthy
“inside”(Woodall, 2010b). Family connections can be fostered in a myriad of ways, such as
letters and phone calls, but more intimately through regular face-to-face prison visitation. Indeed,
prison visits, where dedicated time between the prisoner and his or her family is authorised, have
been described as the “lynchpin”which keeps families together (Codd, 2008, p. 152).
The factors that create a “good”visit experience for prisoners and their families is poorly reported
in the literature (Moran, 2013b), but evidence shows that positive interactions during visits do
offer a series of benefits in terms of improved family well-being, re-establishing family roles
(i.e. father, husband) and reduced re-offending (Bales and Mears, 2008; Woodall et al., 2014).
The causal pathway between visits and these positive effects is not understood fully, although
evidence does suggest a link which may be influenced through re-connecting as a family
member and through increased social capital (de Motte et al., 2012; Woodall, 2010a). The prison
visit is seen not only as an important component in prisoners’rehabilitation and family well-being,
but empirical evidence has shown a number of wider effects including an improved prison
environment with less violence (De Claire and Dixon, 2017).
The National Offender Management Service (2014) in England and Wales concedes that
anything that prisons can do to make environmental conditions easier for visitors will result in a
more positive visit. A recent inspection at HMP Grendon, for example, clearly emphasised the
need for the prison to provide a properly resourced facility to support family connections
(HM Chief Inspectorate of Prisons, 2011). However, despite their prominence in prison life and
their potential to support family health and well-being, the spaces in which visits take place is one
of the most “underresearched carceral spaces”and one, which is argued, merits further
investigation (Moran, 2013b, p. 174). Not only is the prison visiting hall –where conversations
Received 2 March 2017
Revised 17 May 2017
Accepted 1 June 2017
James Woodall is a Reader and
Karina Kinsella is a Research
Assistant, both at the Centre
for Health Promotion Research,
Leeds Beckett University,
Leeds, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0011 VOL. 8 NO. 1 2018, pp. 33-43, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829
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JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
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