Betty
Di Salvo
Bridging the gap between formal and informal learning
Museum
and Gallery Art Education
Family Learning in UK Prisons... how it works?
The children of prisoners
are three times more likely
to have mental health problems
or to engage in antisocial behaviour
(Ministry of Justice, 2009)
In England and Wales there are approximately 85,000 people serving custodial sentences each year across 140 prisons (NACRO, 2007:3). It is estimated that about 160,000 children under 18 in the UK each year have a parent in prison (DCSF/MOJ Children of offenders, 2007 in Folrain et al, 2011:24).
The imprisonment of a parent can be a traumatic time for all members of a family unit, with particular emotional stress playing out during prison visits. Expanding upon the concept of social exclusion, it can be seen that offenders’ families are amongst the most socially excluded groups in society, with some “assumed to be guilty by association” and suffering stress related conditions (Folarin et al., 2011:24). Alongside the various difficulties that can arise during a parent’s time in prison, in some cases there can be devastating long term consequences for families.
There is hardly need to state that the children of prisoners, often victims of social stigma and bullying (Folarin et al., 2011:24), represent “a vulnerable group at risk of poor outcomes”, as much as three times more likely “to have mental health problems or to engage in antisocial behaviour than their peers” (Ministry of Justice, 2009). However, reaching out to these children is not a simple task. Although clearly a vulnerable group, they are frequently “invisible” to the social services and support groups they may be in contact with, who are unaware of their family background unless directly informed by the family themselves (Down the Line, 2009).
Family learning days within prison settings are designed to identify and address the needs of these “invisible” children, easing the difficult scenario of “family time” in prison settings. While the family sessions organised by the October Gallery follow traditional educational models, teaching new skills and knowledge, their key focus is on the development of the relationship between parent and child.