When the Government removes a parent from a vulnerable family for an extended period of time, there will inevitably be lasting consequences for that family. Despite the disconnect that exists in our nation between individuals and communities, to an extent unimagined in the immediate post war period, when one family or child suffers the rest of the community is often affected. From PreSchool settings through to Sixth Form Colleges and beyond, the way in which society prepares our young people to play a positive role in the current and future society depends in part on supporting the most vulnerable to play a full part. We live in a country which imprisons far more people than many other comparable nations. This might suggest we do so because of its effectiveness as a remedy to crime and in order to ensure that the evil behaviour of one generation are not visited onto the next that we would be very efficient at understanding who we are locking up and how best to provide support for their families. However despite the recent focus by this Government on families that are most ‘well known’ to various public sector organisations through the Troubled Families Programme there are apparently no efforts made by the Government to understand the people they lock up and perhaps more importantly, what sort of challenges that the conviction will have in other parts of society.

This morning in the Independent newspaper Barnado’s are raising concerns about the impact on the families of prisoners that their conviction creates. It is surprising but perhaps not shocking to read that the State does not ask male prisoners about any dependents that they might have. Of course this may not sound a priority, particularly if you believe in the principle of locking people up and throwing away the key. The challenge for society is that just like the family itself, we risk being impacted twice for each criminal intervention. If as this article suggests, the children, and most significantly the sons of prisoners are at risk themselves of later criminal actions, we should change our processes, even if the impact is primarily to help the children concerned. However if that intervention can also help the prisoner to face up to their actions in a fresh way, we may also reduce the recidivism within the Criminal Justice System. A few years ago I visited Lewes Prison and it was made abundantly clear to myself and others present, just how much the children of those being deprived of their freedom matter. There are numerous examples of men whose failure to be good parents is driven home when they are deprived of the chance to see their families for 167 of the 168 hours each week. The cost of imprisonment to society is very significant. If we accept that this is a cost that we must pay, let us at least consider if there could be ways of making sure that this money is spent well. Let us ensure that we do all we can to reduce the risk of repeat visits to prison by the prisoner and his children. Recognising the needs of families deprived in an unexpected manner of their Father figure is surely easier to deal with at the moment of imprisonment than waiting for the impact of this deprivation to work its way through the lives of those involved.