Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Kerry Wright was 17 years old when her parents were arrested in Spain, where they lived as a family. She was forced to drop out of school and return to the UK after their extradition and subsequent imprisonment. However, she was unable to access the care system as she was underage and was denied help from housing authorities. Wright had to live on £100 while sofa-surfing. She felt let down by the authorities and the lack of support she received. Wright was part of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour’s forgotten children series that focuses on the impact on children when parents go to prison.
She stated that the arresting officers pretty much ignored her and one of the officers even commented that as soon as the work was done, they could go out for wine, causing Wright to feel surreal. Wright faced social stigma and friends’ judgment after the incident. People tend to abandon their friends in such situations, and it becomes challenging for family members to cope with the situation.
On 1st October 2021, the Ministry of Justice estimated that over 190,000 children had a parent in prison. This data was collated for the first time in England and Wales, and the statistics are still under development. The government spokesperson stated that the data would help understand the scale of the challenge. They further added that the impact of growing up with a parent in prison could be devastating for a child’s life opportunities, and measures must be taken to better identify and support these children.
Emily, not her real name, faced a reduction in support from children’s services when her then-husband was imprisoned for crimes against her. Her children found it tough to understand what happened; one repeatedly urged her to “find me a new dad.” The youngest daughter spoke about her dad’s prison sentence and was consequently not allowed to share in assembly again to prevent other children from worrying. Nan, not her real name, took responsibility for five grandchildren after her daughter was jailed, as her ex-husband was already in prison at the time. More support should be made available for these groups, as children tend to slip through the net.
Criminal justice consultant and research fellow Lucy Baldwin suggested that a multi-agency response should be applied as it will always be appropriate for one or another service to become involved. Parents and their families also need more guidance on what prison is so that they may understand it is “not a horrific, horrible thing.” It’s not shameful, embarrassing, or stigmatized; it’s a situation that can occur to anyone, and we must talk about it rather than avoiding it
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.