Appeal to government departments to coordinate their action

United Kingdom - 15th April 2005

In response to a report entitled "Poverty and Disadvantage Among Prisoners' Families," released in May by The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ccjs)and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, (http://www.jrf.org.uk charities in the UK are appealing to government departments to coordinate their action to respond to the plight of the estimated 150,000 children a year whom they say are being neglected by the state. The report highlighted the poverty, exclusion, loss of a parent and stigma the children experience, underscoring the inadequate funding for voluntary and community support organizations and the lack of a statutory safety net. The appeal is being made by EUROCHIPS member Action for Prisoners' Families, in tandem with the Prison Advice & Care Trust, Prisoners Families & Friends Service and the Ormiston Children & Families Trust. "Finally—a report that recognizes the true cost of imprisonment," says Sarah Salmon from Action for Prisoners' Families. "These figures prove that the burgeoning prison population is leaving a trail of social devastation in its wake. Behind almost every prison sentence lies a story of broken homes, poverty and ill-health. All too often innocent family members and children are left to cope without adequate support. If the government is serious about tackling social exclusion, it must recognize that a jail term has consequences that reach far beyond the prison gates." For the full report: www.jrf.org.uk or www.kcl.ac.uk/ccjs