Exploring the dynamics of family relations in reducing reoffending: The effect of time in prison

• In Event: The Effects of Incarceration on Children, Women, and Communities

Abstract

Strong family support networks have regularly been implicated in the search for effective inhibitors of criminal behaviour, acting both as a strong source of moral guidance and a material source of opportunity and protection. But the dynamics of family relations are less understood, particularly within the context of the prison population, which is at once both high risk as a candidate population for particularly weak existing relations with family, and at high risk of further damage to relations as a result of the barriers that exist to restrict meaningful engagement with family. We address this deficit in the evidence base, drawing on a nationally representative sample of prisoners in England and Wales to explore the role that life in prison plays in modifying existing family relations. We find strong empirical support for the crucial ‘protective’ role that closeness to family has in reducing reoffending and improving outcomes for offenders released from prison (e.g. employment opportunities, drug desistance). We then go on to explore the dynamics of closeness to family within the prison environment, demonstrating how the potentially deleterious effects of long-term separation from family members is ameliorated by mechanisms to maintain effective levels of contact between offenders and their families.

Authors

• Daniel McCarthy, University of Surrey

• Ian Brunton-Smith, University of Surrey