Now they want to let prisoners chat on Skype behind bars!
PRISONERS should be able to use iPads to Skype their families from behind bars, a government report recommends today.
Tory peer Lord Farmer said job descriptions for guards should include ‘developing personal relationships with their prisoners’, with inmates given the chance to do face painting or play table football with their offspring during extended visits.
The multi-millionaire hedge fund boss, who donated millions to the party, said boosting links between offenders and their families reduces the likelihood of them reoffending when they are released, but last night critics branded it soft justice. In his report he called for:
Prison governors to consider allowing inmates out at Christmas or for their children’s birthdays when they are most likely to be missed.
Comfy sofas to be put in family visiting lounges so children feel comfortable and relaxed.
And fun joint activities to be offered to offenders and their children such as training with firefighters.
The review relates to prisons in England and Wales, but last night the Scottish Prisons Service signalled it was open to the use of video to keep prisoners in touch with families.
The Ministry of Justice, which commissioned the review, last night said it had started drawing up a plan on how to implement its recommendations.
Justice Secretary David Lidington said: ‘Families can play a significant role in supporting an offender and I am grateful to Lord Farmer for his dedication and research on this issue.
‘We recognise the need to provide those in our care with stable environments, and opportunities to change their behaviour.’
Lord Farmer said empty prison cells should be converted into rooms where inmates whose families are unable to visit are able to have Skype calls home. Alternatively prisoners could be given access to tablet computers, such as iPads, for the video calls, he suggested.
The report called for more prisoners to be given the chance of temporary release so they are able to maintain family ties and prepare for life outside near the end of their sentences.
Lord Farmer wrote: ‘It would enable them to attend parentto
‘Enable parents to reconnect’
teacher evenings and other meetings at their children’s school… It also allows families to adjust to having the person around more and is particularly beneficial for children who may feel less comfortable around their parent after a long period of separation.’
He urged prison governors to consider how temporary release could be used for special occasions such as family birthdays or Christmas when children miss their parents most.
Prisons guards should be given annual refresher courses to help them understand ‘family issues’ that affect inmates, with a requirement for them to build bonds with them.
Lord Farmer said prisons should look at offering longer family visits ‘to enable parents to reconnect with their children’ and suggested that they are able take part in fun activities together.
Lord Farmer pointed to Ministry of Justice research that shows for a prisoner who receives visits from a family member the odds of reoffending are 39 per cent lower than for those who do not.
He said: ‘We have to use all the tools at our disposal if we are to put a crowbar into the revolving door of repeat reoffending and tackle the intergenerational transmission of crime.’
Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said ‘prison must be about punishment and rehabilitation’.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: ‘We have used video conferencing before.
‘We are aware of the very positive potential that video links have, so using it is something we would be keen on doing more of in the future.’