Communications Officer, Families Outside
Scotland has the second highest imprisonment rate in western Europe; approximately 7,850 people are in prison in Scotland on any given day at present, and an estimated 20-27,000 children are affected by parental imprisonment each year, twice as many as experience a parent’s divorce. This means thousands of families are affected by imprisonment, and there are significant costs that come with this.
Many people in prison come from Scotland’s most deprived areas. Recent research produced by Families Outside and funded by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, ‘Paying the Price: The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release’, highlights the role of imprisonment in creating, sustaining and deepening poverty, with the burden of care and costs associated with supporting someone in prison falling disproportionately to single, low-income women.
Remand is an especially costly time, with families spending an average of £300 per month providing support to a person in custody – around half their average monthly income. Fiona describes the financial pressures associated with her partner’s remand: “It was a lot of money. I was spending £10 to get up there every day. I just did it because I wanted to see him… I was working two jobs… I was going to a visit, going to one care job and then another. I never slept.”
After sentencing, costs remain high, with many spending around a third of their income supporting someone in prison.
Keeping in touch via visits and phone calls is just one of the very expensive costs experienced by supporting partners. Regular contact can be hugely beneficial towards supporting the health and wellbeing of all involved, and can help reduce reoffending, with a person being up to six times less likely to reoffend on release from prison if regular contact is maintained.
Calls from mobile phones and video calls were introduced during the pandemic at no cost to families, but the recent move from mobile phones to in-cell landlines has meant a reduction in free minutes allocated for calls, meaning a potentially greater cost for people in prison to contact their families. We are worried this could result in further financial implications for families.
Of the 51 family members interviewed for the research: 30 were the main carers for 58 children, and 46 were living on around £500 per month, after paying rent and tax.
“Many who have always faced financial hardship are being plunged further into poverty because of costs associated with imprisonment”
The Scottish Parliament has made commitments to tackling child poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, but, as it stands, too many families are being failed on this front. Many who have always faced financial hardship are being plunged further into poverty because of costs associated with imprisonment. These costs do not end with release, with the first two months post-release being the most expensive for families, due to a dropping-off in services and delays in receiving benefits.
“[Women are] coping” through self-sacrifice and silent suffering”
Women are primarily the ones carrying these costs, describing themselves as “coping” through self-sacrifice and silent suffering. This has significant effects on their social, mental and physical wellbeing. Often pushed into food and fuel poverty, mothers particularly reported skipping meals and covering up their drastic weight loss, dismissing it as a diet rather than because of financial hardship.
“Families Outside is calling for urgent action to reduce costs to families”
The evidence speaks volumes: the ‘Paying the Price’ report notes that families already in poverty are being “squeezed to the point of being crushed”. Women have carried these costs in silence for too long, and “it is time their voices are heard”. Families who are innocent are in effect being punished for acts they did not commit; their only ‘crime’ being a desire to support a loved one. To improve outcomes for families affected by imprisonment, Families Outside is calling for urgent action to reduce costs to families, to provide more accessible information, and to improve access to funds and financial support.
Prof Nancy Loucks, CEO of Families Outside, commented:
“Imprisonment creates enormous difficulties for families; financial impact is just one of these, but a key one. Even before the cost-of-living crisis, these families were making significant sacrifices of their own physical and emotional wellbeing just to get by, simply because of their circumstances. We can and must do more to prevent this.”
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working solely on behalf of families affected by imprisonment. For support or information, or to find out more, visit the Families Outside website.