Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study

Avon Hart-Johnson; Geoffrey Johnson

doi:doi:10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study

Avon Hart-Johnson, Geoffrey Johnson

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 2)

Received: 19 April 2020 Accepted: 13 May 2020 Published: 27 May 2020

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Abstract

Recent studies have illuminated how families are affected by prison staff engagement during prison visits. Prison staff, by virtue of their positions, exercise power and authority over families during prison visits processes and potentially play a vital role in shaping inmate-family experiences. Although some interactions with prison staff may be cordial, others have been reported as stressful for visitors, especially families with children. Yet many family visitors endure stressful encounters since visits can serve as portals for bonding between inmates and their families. Over the past two decades, some prisons in the United Kingdom (UK) have invested in developing family-oriented practices and visits protocol, where prison staff oversee the visits process. This is in contrast to prison staff who tend to take on a police-officer mentality whereby policing behaviors or personal philosophies are aligned with implied suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension towards inmates and families. Given such, prison staff interpretation of their roles and engagement with families is of research interest. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how UK prison staff interpreted their roles during family visits and determine why this evolution towards family-focus visiting took place. To answer the research inquiry, a heterogeneous sample of prison staff from private and public sector prisons and advocacy center contractors employed at two prisons in the United Kingdom were recruited to provide broad perspectives on staff roles during the process of the visit. Within these facilities, we interviewed a total of 13 (n=13) staff members. Data collection and semi-structured interviews occurred at two prison facilities and two advocacy centers. Three researchers conducted cross-case analyses and applied triangulation methods to establish a clear chain of evidence documented through step-by-step processes: audit trails; flexible and parallel data analysis during data collection, and first- and second-order coding processes. Findings from this study indicate that prison staff perceives their roles during the visiting processes as an evolution from traditional corrections-based punitive practices (i.e. policing) to a visiting program capable of accommodating three goals: low-stress family visits, inmate conformance, and reduced recidivism. This study adds to the literature on detailing how prison staff dichotomous roles were interpreted as balancing tensions between institutional controls and minimizing traumatic experiences for visiting families through prison-based interventions.

Published in	Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
Page(s)	63-72
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Family Systems and Prison Staff, Family Prison Visits, Prison Staff Roles, Prison Staff, Family Engagement, Prison Visits, Multiple Case Study, United Kingdom Prison Visiting Process

References

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Avon Hart-Johnson, Geoffrey Johnson. (2020). Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), 63-72. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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Avon Hart-Johnson; Geoffrey Johnson. Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2020, 8(2), 63-72. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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Avon Hart-Johnson, Geoffrey Johnson. Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanit Soc Sci. 2020;8(2):63-72. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13,
  author = {Avon Hart-Johnson and Geoffrey Johnson},
  title = {Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-72},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20200802.13},
  abstract = {Recent studies have illuminated how families are affected by prison staff engagement during prison visits. Prison staff, by virtue of their positions, exercise power and authority over families during prison visits processes and potentially play a vital role in shaping inmate-family experiences. Although some interactions with prison staff may be cordial, others have been reported as stressful for visitors, especially families with children. Yet many family visitors endure stressful encounters since visits can serve as portals for bonding between inmates and their families. Over the past two decades, some prisons in the United Kingdom (UK) have invested in developing family-oriented practices and visits protocol, where prison staff oversee the visits process. This is in contrast to prison staff who tend to take on a police-officer mentality whereby policing behaviors or personal philosophies are aligned with implied suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension towards inmates and families. Given such, prison staff interpretation of their roles and engagement with families is of research interest. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how UK prison staff interpreted their roles during family visits and determine why this evolution towards family-focus visiting took place. To answer the research inquiry, a heterogeneous sample of prison staff from private and public sector prisons and advocacy center contractors employed at two prisons in the United Kingdom were recruited to provide broad perspectives on staff roles during the process of the visit. Within these facilities, we interviewed a total of 13 (n=13) staff members. Data collection and semi-structured interviews occurred at two prison facilities and two advocacy centers. Three researchers conducted cross-case analyses and applied triangulation methods to establish a clear chain of evidence documented through step-by-step processes: audit trails; flexible and parallel data analysis during data collection, and first- and second-order coding processes. Findings from this study indicate that prison staff perceives their roles during the visiting processes as an evolution from traditional corrections-based punitive practices (i.e. policing) to a visiting program capable of accommodating three goals: low-stress family visits, inmate conformance, and reduced recidivism. This study adds to the literature on detailing how prison staff dichotomous roles were interpreted as balancing tensions between institutional controls and minimizing traumatic experiences for visiting families through prison-based interventions.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study
AU  - Avon Hart-Johnson
AU  - Geoffrey Johnson
Y1  - 2020/05/27
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 63
EP  - 72
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
AB  - Recent studies have illuminated how families are affected by prison staff engagement during prison visits. Prison staff, by virtue of their positions, exercise power and authority over families during prison visits processes and potentially play a vital role in shaping inmate-family experiences. Although some interactions with prison staff may be cordial, others have been reported as stressful for visitors, especially families with children. Yet many family visitors endure stressful encounters since visits can serve as portals for bonding between inmates and their families. Over the past two decades, some prisons in the United Kingdom (UK) have invested in developing family-oriented practices and visits protocol, where prison staff oversee the visits process. This is in contrast to prison staff who tend to take on a police-officer mentality whereby policing behaviors or personal philosophies are aligned with implied suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension towards inmates and families. Given such, prison staff interpretation of their roles and engagement with families is of research interest. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how UK prison staff interpreted their roles during family visits and determine why this evolution towards family-focus visiting took place. To answer the research inquiry, a heterogeneous sample of prison staff from private and public sector prisons and advocacy center contractors employed at two prisons in the United Kingdom were recruited to provide broad perspectives on staff roles during the process of the visit. Within these facilities, we interviewed a total of 13 (n=13) staff members. Data collection and semi-structured interviews occurred at two prison facilities and two advocacy centers. Three researchers conducted cross-case analyses and applied triangulation methods to establish a clear chain of evidence documented through step-by-step processes: audit trails; flexible and parallel data analysis during data collection, and first- and second-order coding processes. Findings from this study indicate that prison staff perceives their roles during the visiting processes as an evolution from traditional corrections-based punitive practices (i.e. policing) to a visiting program capable of accommodating three goals: low-stress family visits, inmate conformance, and reduced recidivism. This study adds to the literature on detailing how prison staff dichotomous roles were interpreted as balancing tensions between institutional controls and minimizing traumatic experiences for visiting families through prison-based interventions.
VL  - 8
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Author Information

Avon Hart-Johnson

College of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Geoffrey Johnson

DC Project Connect (DCPC) Independent Research, DCPC, Washington, DC, United States

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Avon Hart-Johnson, Geoffrey Johnson. (2020). Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), 63-72. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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Avon Hart-Johnson; Geoffrey Johnson. Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2020, 8(2), 63-72. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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Avon Hart-Johnson, Geoffrey Johnson. Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study. Humanit Soc Sci. 2020;8(2):63-72. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13,
  author = {Avon Hart-Johnson and Geoffrey Johnson},
  title = {Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-72},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20200802.13},
  abstract = {Recent studies have illuminated how families are affected by prison staff engagement during prison visits. Prison staff, by virtue of their positions, exercise power and authority over families during prison visits processes and potentially play a vital role in shaping inmate-family experiences. Although some interactions with prison staff may be cordial, others have been reported as stressful for visitors, especially families with children. Yet many family visitors endure stressful encounters since visits can serve as portals for bonding between inmates and their families. Over the past two decades, some prisons in the United Kingdom (UK) have invested in developing family-oriented practices and visits protocol, where prison staff oversee the visits process. This is in contrast to prison staff who tend to take on a police-officer mentality whereby policing behaviors or personal philosophies are aligned with implied suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension towards inmates and families. Given such, prison staff interpretation of their roles and engagement with families is of research interest. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how UK prison staff interpreted their roles during family visits and determine why this evolution towards family-focus visiting took place. To answer the research inquiry, a heterogeneous sample of prison staff from private and public sector prisons and advocacy center contractors employed at two prisons in the United Kingdom were recruited to provide broad perspectives on staff roles during the process of the visit. Within these facilities, we interviewed a total of 13 (n=13) staff members. Data collection and semi-structured interviews occurred at two prison facilities and two advocacy centers. Three researchers conducted cross-case analyses and applied triangulation methods to establish a clear chain of evidence documented through step-by-step processes: audit trails; flexible and parallel data analysis during data collection, and first- and second-order coding processes. Findings from this study indicate that prison staff perceives their roles during the visiting processes as an evolution from traditional corrections-based punitive practices (i.e. policing) to a visiting program capable of accommodating three goals: low-stress family visits, inmate conformance, and reduced recidivism. This study adds to the literature on detailing how prison staff dichotomous roles were interpreted as balancing tensions between institutional controls and minimizing traumatic experiences for visiting families through prison-based interventions.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Prison Staff and Family Visits: United Kingdom Case Study
AU  - Avon Hart-Johnson
AU  - Geoffrey Johnson
Y1  - 2020/05/27
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 63
EP  - 72
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.13
AB  - Recent studies have illuminated how families are affected by prison staff engagement during prison visits. Prison staff, by virtue of their positions, exercise power and authority over families during prison visits processes and potentially play a vital role in shaping inmate-family experiences. Although some interactions with prison staff may be cordial, others have been reported as stressful for visitors, especially families with children. Yet many family visitors endure stressful encounters since visits can serve as portals for bonding between inmates and their families. Over the past two decades, some prisons in the United Kingdom (UK) have invested in developing family-oriented practices and visits protocol, where prison staff oversee the visits process. This is in contrast to prison staff who tend to take on a police-officer mentality whereby policing behaviors or personal philosophies are aligned with implied suspicion, mistrust, and apprehension towards inmates and families. Given such, prison staff interpretation of their roles and engagement with families is of research interest. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how UK prison staff interpreted their roles during family visits and determine why this evolution towards family-focus visiting took place. To answer the research inquiry, a heterogeneous sample of prison staff from private and public sector prisons and advocacy center contractors employed at two prisons in the United Kingdom were recruited to provide broad perspectives on staff roles during the process of the visit. Within these facilities, we interviewed a total of 13 (n=13) staff members. Data collection and semi-structured interviews occurred at two prison facilities and two advocacy centers. Three researchers conducted cross-case analyses and applied triangulation methods to establish a clear chain of evidence documented through step-by-step processes: audit trails; flexible and parallel data analysis during data collection, and first- and second-order coding processes. Findings from this study indicate that prison staff perceives their roles during the visiting processes as an evolution from traditional corrections-based punitive practices (i.e. policing) to a visiting program capable of accommodating three goals: low-stress family visits, inmate conformance, and reduced recidivism. This study adds to the literature on detailing how prison staff dichotomous roles were interpreted as balancing tensions between institutional controls and minimizing traumatic experiences for visiting families through prison-based interventions.
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
ER  -

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