Appeal to IPP prisoners families

Prisoners' families are often said to be invisible and hidden. Yet their lives are sometimes dramatically affected by a loved one's imprisonment, and there is very little support out there to make the journey through the criminal justice system easier. We also know very little about the impact imprisonment has on the families outside, which is why I am conducting my PhD research at the University of Oxford looking into the impact long-term imprisonment has on partners of prisoners in the UK. I am trying to discover how these partners are impacted when their husband, boyfriend or fiancée is given a long sentence. If your husband, boyfriend or fiancé is serving a determinate sentence of 10 years or more (5 years in prison), an IPP or life sentence, and you would like to know more about my research or think you might be willing to share your story, please contact me. All conversations will be treated as confidential. Anna Kotova - Tel: 07884060023 Email: anna.kotova@gtc.ox.ac.uk
Editorial note: A new report by the children's charity Barnardo's estimates that two thirds of boys with a father in prison will grow up to become criminals. Children with a parent in prison are also more likely to be excluded from school and suffer mental health problems - yet they remain unknown to the authorities or services that could help them, say Barnardo's.

The following is a letter to insidetime, from issue June 2014 http://www.insidetime.co.uk/mailbag.asp?a=1529&c=appeal_to_prisoners_familiesFrom Anna Kotova - Student