Abstract
A worrying number of children and young people are affected by parental imprisonment. The non-governmental organisation Children of Prisoners, Europe suggests that more than 100,000 children are currently separated from – predominantly male – parents in England and Wales. The National Information Centre on Children of Offenders and the Prison Fellowship both estimate that over 300,000 children and young people experience the impacts of having parents in prison every year. In effect, they are caught up in their parent's punishment and often feel confused and powerless. This is a difficult situation for all ages and especially so for younger children unfamiliar with the nature of the law and justice systems.
Lorna Brookes and Emily Livsey's My Parent in Prison books are designed for use with younger children to open discussion and help them understand what is happening and their emotional reactions to this. There are three publications in the series so far, with simple yet endearing illustrations by Aoife J O’Dwyer. In turn, they deal with: Alex's father being taken into prison suddenly and the first prison visit; Tyler coming to terms with not being able to see his father in prison because of concerns for family safety; and Bethy living with her Nan whilst being supported to maintain her relationship with her mother in custody. All are grounded in real-life stories and events encountered in the authors’ own work.
The value of these books is that they are uncomplicated and sufficiently generic to be easily relatable to many situations that families might face, including tricky areas of risk. They are visually inclusive as well, depicting people of colour but avoiding being specific about ethnicity. That means that parents, carers, social workers and others can introduce whichever is most appropriate to a child confident that they should find elements that resonate. All three stories feature school settings, and they would seem to be aimed at children in the early years of school. Although the themes may still resonate with older age groups, more information content would likely be appropriate for their needs, whereas these books steer away from detailed explanations of court processes, for example, to focus on the child.
I was struck by the encouraging tone throughout and emphasis on the resourcefulness and creativity of children and the loving relationships that they have. The books portray Alex, Tyler and Bethy with other adults who love and care for them, siblings, pets and friends who are all part of helping them deal with feelings of loss and to keep feeling good about themselves. Bethy, for example, is proud to tell her mother she got full marks in her spelling test at school, and Alex is pleased that his Grandad has replaced his father as chief cheerleader at football practice. The books acknowledge difficult feelings of self-blame or sadness when saying goodbye at the end of a prison visit. But they each end on a positive note of connection to others and recognition, such as Tyler finding an outlet in creating art which his Mum displays on the kitchen wall.
The three books are short but nevertheless provide young people with strategies to cope. Bethy is unsure how to answer questions about why she is not living with her mother and rehearses a neutral response with her Nan. Alex's Mum suggests he collects things in a special ‘Dad’ box to give to his father on release and Tyler's social worker suggests a private version of the same. Sharing is important too: Alex gains strength from helping another boy whose father has been imprisoned and Bethy befriends Abbie whose best friend has moved away, making cards together to send to the people they are each missing.
These are books written from the heart and deeply empathetic with the children and their families at their centre. They are not a panacea in themselves but will provide invaluable tools for all those supporting children and young people through their experiences of parental imprisonment, and, I hope, comfort to many children.