Parental Imprisonment’s Toll: The Children Left Behind

When Kerry Wright was 17, her parents were apprehended while residing with her in Spain. Following their extradition and incarceration, Ms. Wright was compelled to leave school in Spain and relocate to the UK. She disclosed to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour this week that she was informed she was ineligible for the care system due to her age and was refused assistance by housing authorities. Consequently, she resorted to sofa-surfing, possessing only £100. “People just assume with kids or young people that when their parents are… arrested and put in prison that they’ve got family to go to,” she stated. “That didn’t work out for me.” Currently in her late twenties, Ms. Wright shared her story with Woman’s Hour as part of its ongoing Forgotten Children series, which examines the repercussions for children when a parent is imprisoned. She recounted that the British officers who made the arrest “pretty much” disregarded her, and she recalled one officer remarking: “Now this is done, we can go for a glass of wine, can’t we?” “It felt so surreal that I just stood there and listened to that while watching my parents be carted off,” Ms. Wright stated. She has chosen not to reveal the specifics of her parents’ offenses but detailed the “social stigma” she encountered due to their incarceration. She mentioned friends “dropping off” after news reports about the crimes surfaced. “I felt like I couldn’t talk about it openly without being judged,” she commented. Data released in July by the Ministry of Justice indicates an estimated 190,000 children had a parent in prison during the 12-month period commencing 1 October 2021. This figure was derived by estimating the number of prisoners with children and the average number of dependent children per family. This marks the initial instance of such data being compiled to generate national statistics for the prison population in England and Wales, with these statistics still being refined. A government spokesperson affirmed that this information will aid in comprehending the magnitude of the issue. “Growing up with a parent in prison can have a devastating impact on a child’s life opportunities,” the spokesperson further stated. “We have taken measures to better identify and support these children.” Emily, whose real name is withheld, experienced a decrease in support from children’s services after her then-husband was incarcerated for offenses committed against her. She conveyed to Woman’s Hour that it seemed as though the services perceived the “problem” as resolved. Her children found it difficult to grasp the situation, with one repeatedly telling her “you need to find me a new dad”. Emily remarked this week: “I felt that that was my fault.” “They noticed that we were different. They were grieving a loss, but he was still there.” Her youngest child, then in reception class, discussed her father’s prison sentence during a school assembly. This led to a call from the school, informing Emily that her child would not be permitted to speak in assembly again to avoid “worry[ing] other children,” as Emily clarified. “This wasn’t our crime,” she informed Woman’s Hour. “Why are we being punished and why are we being pushed out of society because of something that happened to us?” The necessity for increased assistance was also expressed by Nan, whose actual name is not used, after she assumed care for five grandchildren following her daughter’s imprisonment. Her daughter’s former husband was already serving a prison sentence at that time. The four boys and one girl resided with Nan in her two-bedroom residence for a duration of two years. “I was in a panic constantly,” Nan stated. “We had social services there, but all they wanted to do, basically, was get parental responsibility for the children.” “That worry was there on top of everything else.” Nan advocates for the provision of additional support. Children Heard and Seen is a charity endeavoring to address this void. Sarah Burrows, its founder, reported that the organization has aided over 1,200 young individuals in the 10 years since its inception. In February 2023, the charity identified five children living unsupervised after a parent’s imprisonment. One, aged 15, had been living alone for several months. “I remember a 15-year-old girl telling me she was dancing to some music with her friends and someone phoned and said ‘your mum’s gone to prison’ – and she was left on her own to manage it,” Ms. Burrows recounted. “And another mother, who was not expecting to have a prison sentence, going to court and her child being left at school and not having someone to pick her up.” Ms. Burrows urges local authorities to increase their efforts, stating that children are “slipping through the net.” Lucy Baldwin, a criminal justice consultant and research fellow, informed Woman’s Hour that a “multi-agency response” is necessary, as it will consistently be appropriate for various services to engage. “Some families are very capable in supporting themselves but that doesn’t mean the children won’t need additional emotional, practical, psychological, and educational support.” Emily, during her interview with Woman’s Hour, expressed that she and her family required more direction at the time of sentencing, so her children would comprehend what prison entailed and understand it is “not a horrific, horrible thing.” “It’s not shameful, it’s not embarrassing, it’s not a stigma,” she asserted. “It’s not something that we don’t need to talk about.” The complete interviews are accessible on Woman’s Hour. Additional reporting was contributed by Cachella Smith and Tom McArthur. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved.