Incarceration In Prisons

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The aim of NEPACS is to support stable family relationships and help to alleviate some of the emotional and mental health impacts associated with incarceration that both inmates and their family members experience. It is expected that many families affected by imprisonment are themselves in need. Moreover, they can experience a range of problems due to the imprisonment of a relative, such as economic hardship, social stigmatisation and emotional difficulties (Mills 2004), which adds further stress to the person incarcerated. By delivering services to a range of ‘troubled families’, NEPACS improve outcomes for children, reduce the likelihood of intergenerational crime, and, ultimately, lead to the successful resettlement of ex-prisoners (The Howard League for Penal Reform, 2015). In a report by the …show more content…
Consequently, this means families are not involved in the process of rehabilitation, and there is no one person the family can contact for information. This means there is no body they can pass on concerns to about the prisoner’s welfare or mental health unless the families were to get in direct contact with the prison officers. Family members may be reluctant to do this if they themselves have been in the prison system or if they have a jaded view of the justice system in the UK. Farrant and Hartworth (2012) have identified that a lack of information for prisoners’ families is a recurrent complaint and visits are seen as a particular problem. Some families only find out that a prisoner’s visit entitlement has changed, or even that they have been transferred to another prison, on arrival for a visit. The above point demonstrates the value of NEPACS in the criminal justice system as it stands currently. They are a vital link between the prisoner and their family to ensure family ties are