This article reports the findings from a qualitative study evaluating a Visiting Mum scheme that supported Welsh children with a mother in prison. There are 12 women's prisons in England, and none in Wales. Women living in south and west Wales are currently incarcerated at HMP Eastwood Park, Gloucestershire. This is significant for Welsh children,…

The idea that how you were parented is key to how you parent your own children is widely recognisable. It is present in popular cultural references, underpins much policy on families and parenting in the UK, and is supported by a substantive body of academic literature. We explore this concept of intergenerational transmission of parenting,…

There are over 200, 000 children in the UK who are affected by parental imprisonment [Barnardo's, 2014. Children affected by parental imprisonment. http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_work/children_of_prisoners.htm]. Children with a parent in prison are expected to engage in a great deal of physical and emotional caring to support their…

There is now a growing body of literature which is centred upon the negative outcomes that occur for many families, and by extension, children who experience the imprisonment of a father. Typically, families suffer the consequences of living with stigma and financial difficulties, while children are often affected by the accompanying secrecy and…

Twenty years ago, the author co-led an extensive study for the UK Department of Health on the parenting role of imprisoned fathers in England and Wales. Against a background of children's needs and rights, it examined the place of fatherhood in their lives, the meaning of paternal absence to a child, and the particular significance for children of…

Recent years have witnessed a gradual increase in international research on the effects of parental incarceration on families and prisoners both in the short, medium and long term. However, the rights of children with a parent in prison is a subject which, in the Irish context at least, has been ill considered to date by policy and law makers.…

During imprisonment, fathers are separated from their families and contact is limited. When delivering a prison based parenting programme, providing an opportunity to rehearse newly acquired parenting skills can be key for mastering the performance of these skills and using these skills to improve father-child relationships. This paper takes an…

In Victoria, data indicates that in 2013-2014 there were 74,992 adult male arrests, yet little formal attention has been paid to the parenting status of these men, despite knowledge of the impact of parental arrest and incarceration on children being well established. This article addresses a gap in the literature by providing new insights into…

The intersection of mass incarceration and fatherhood is of particular interest to a growing number of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. In this study, the role of fathers in children's lives before and during imprisonment are investigated from the caregiver perspective. Reliance on caregivers' accounts offers valuable insight into the…

The Norwegian Correctional Service offers a program called "Fathers in Prison", aimed at helping incarcerated fathers to have better contact with their children during their sentence and after release. On the basis of 38 semi-structured interviews with prisoners who have completed the program, we would argue that there is reason to…

There is a dearth of research on the experience of motherhood within the Irish prison system. This paper considers the specific issue of facilitating contact between incarcerated mothers and their children. It is based on a study which explores the views of practitioners working directly with mothers in prison on how the mother-child relationship…

Recruiting, retaining and engaging men in social interventions can be challenging. The focus of this paper is the successful implementation of a parenting programme for incarcerated fathers, delivered in a Young Offender Institution (YOI) in Scotland. Reasons for high levels of recruitment, retention and engagement are explored, with barriers…

Children who have a parent in prison are a vulnerable group. Research suggests that such children experience a range of poor outcomes in relation to well-being, education and relationships. These outcomes are mediated by a range of factors including contact with the incarcerated parent. Similarly, prisoners who maintain contact with their families…