IMPRISONED FATHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

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by Gwyneth Boswell & Peter Wedge

JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS (2002) ISBN 1853029726  £15.95  176PP

This book describes research undertaken by the authors with a group of prisoner fathers, their partners or carers of their children and their children. As the authors state, mothers and their children and even mothers in a custodial setting are relatively more widely researched than fathers and their children, especially imprisoned fathers. As such, this work makes a significant contribution to a particularly ignored topic.

Beginning with a literature review, the book highlights how out-dated much of the existing work is. With the vast increase in the prison population in the past few years, compared to the 1980s and 1990s when much of the previous research was undertaken, the authors offer a timely reminder of the real impact imprisonment can have on family relationships. The strength of this book lies in the descriptive material with a valuable usage of quotes from all research subjects - the imprisoned fathers, the partners, and perhaps most importantly, the children themselves. The style of the book ensures the reader comes away with a real sense of the impact of a father's imprisonment. In this way, the authors give a voice to those who are not often heard. The format is easy to read, with international examples of good practice in the field and a wide range of useful references to further an understanding of the subject matter.

Boswell and Wedge make clear the importance of appreciating how disruptive a period of incarceration can be to father-child relationships and the real need to make sure family ties are seriously considered from the perspective of all members. With the worrying trend seen in the UK in the use of custodial sentencing, the issue of imprisoned parents is of major concern. There are currently over 70,000 people in prison, many of whom are parents of small children. This book provides a point of reference and important insights for all those who work with families.

SARAH SALMON

Sarah Salmon is the senior policy officer at the Federation of Prisoners' Families Support Groups - the FPFSG is the national organisation which works to give a voice to the families of prisoners and those who work with them: www.fpfsg.org.uk