LAUNCH OF THE YOUNG PARENTS IN PRISON PROJECT

To coincide with National Parenting Week, the Prison Reform Trust are pleased to announce the launch of a three year project responding to the needs of young parents in prison. This work is supported by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Very many children are affected each year by their parent’s imprisonment. An exceptionally high proportion of young people in prison are themselves parents. This project sets out to reduce the use of imprisonment for young parents and to provide additional support for those few who do need to be in custody.

• Around 140,000 children are affected by having a parent in prison each year in Britain.

• An estimated 39% of women under the age of 21 in prison are mothers and 25% of men under 21 in prison are fathers.

• The Prison Service do not currently ask young people entering prison if they have children, so it is not possible to gain an accurate picture of how many young parents there are or to respond to their particular needs.

• Research shows that sustaining good family ties can reduce a prisoner’s risk of re-offending by six times.

Speaking at a recent conference, Martin Narey, Director General of the Prison Service said:

“A stable, supportive family throughout the sentence is a key factor in preventing re-offending on release…I firmly believe that we should do as much as possible to sustain family relationships at what for many will be an especially traumatic time in their lives.”   
The aims of the project are:

o to find out how many young parents are held in custody throughout the UK, and to ensure that in future accurate statistics are recorded
o to ensure that fewer young parents enter custody and that, whenever possible, young parents receive appropriate community penalties (e.g. probation or community service orders)
o to ensure that all research and services are appropriate to the needs of black and minority ethnic young parents
o to work with other voluntary organisations to develop services which will support young parents who come into contact with the criminal justice system and ensure that young parents get help both in prison and on release

Speaking today, the Young Parents in Prison Project Manager, Fiona Reddick said:

“Imprisoning young parents means that some of the most vulnerable young people face the loss not only of their freedom, but also the threat of losing their child. As a society,  we are placing a double burden on very young people. We do not offer them any support to fulfil their parental responsibilities or maintain their relationships with their children – yet we know that maintaining family ties is one of the most significant factors in reducing re-offending and that imprisoning parents increases the likelihood of their children then becoming involved in crime themselves.”

Juliet Lyon, the Director of the Prison Reform Trust added:

“If we want to reduce offending and break the cycle of crime, we must stop locking up so many vulnerable young parents and instead offer intensive support and supervision in the community.”

Andrew Purkis, Chief Executive of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, says:

“The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund champions neglected causes with the aim of promoting change. Through projects such as the one run by the Prison Reform Trust, the Fund supports not only young parents who are in prison, but also prisoners’ children on the outside so that the damage to family relationships is minimised. Both are a hidden and isolated group of vulnerable young people who need help.”

Notes to Editors:

- On 12th October 2001, there were 11,110 prisoners held in England and Wales who are under 21 years of age. Of these, 2609 were children under 18.
- Of the 29 member states of the Council of Europe, only Estonia, Lithuania and Romania imprison more under 21 year olds.
- Young prisoners under 21 are in custody, on average, 51 miles away from home.
- 29% of young male prisoners and 35% of young women prisoners had spent time in care.
- 9 out of 10 young people in prison have a mental health or substance misuse problem.
- See attached briefing for more detailed statistics and information.

- The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was set up in September 1997 and has so far pledged over £40 million in grants to organisations working in the UK and overseas.  By giving grants to organisations, championing charitable causes and creating new money for the charity sector, the Fund helps the most disadvantaged people change their lives. For more information about the Fund in general, or more specifically about their work with prisoners’ families, please contact:
The Press Office, The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund