Abstract
Background. Visits present an opportunity for prisoners to preserve family ties and reduce isolation, but not all receive visits from family or friends whilst incarcerated.
Aims. To locate, appraise and synthesise qualitative data on the experiences of adult male prisoners (aged 18 years+) who do not receive prison visits from family or friends.
Methods. Nine electronic databases were searched from the date of their inception until March 2023. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist for qualitative studies, and data from the studies were synthesised using the thematic synthesis method.
Results. Eighteen studies from seven countries (the USA, the UK [England, Northern Ireland & Scotland], Canada, Netherlands and the Philippines were eligible for inclusion. Three main themes emerged: (1) reasons for not receiving visits; (2) harmful effects of not receiving visits; (3) the value of volunteer visitor programmes. Practical problems were cited as interfering with visiting opportunities, but also some prisoners or families chose not to meet in prison.
Loneliness and depression were extensively described as effects of not receiving visits. Qualities associated with volunteer visitors included raised self-esteem, improved mood and personal growth.
Conclusions. Narratives of the experiences of adult men in prison without visits from family or friends suggest that not only the practical difficulties of imprisonment affect visiting; barriers that prisoners themselves impose would merit further exploration, as would family and relationship dynamics during incarceration and the emotional impact of prison visits, for both prisoners and their families. There are suggestions of therapeutic as well as humanitarian
benefits from volunteer visiting programmes. There is a gap in the literature about any specific effect on rebuilding family relationships.
Aims. To locate, appraise and synthesise qualitative data on the experiences of adult male prisoners (aged 18 years+) who do not receive prison visits from family or friends.
Methods. Nine electronic databases were searched from the date of their inception until March 2023. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist for qualitative studies, and data from the studies were synthesised using the thematic synthesis method.
Results. Eighteen studies from seven countries (the USA, the UK [England, Northern Ireland & Scotland], Canada, Netherlands and the Philippines were eligible for inclusion. Three main themes emerged: (1) reasons for not receiving visits; (2) harmful effects of not receiving visits; (3) the value of volunteer visitor programmes. Practical problems were cited as interfering with visiting opportunities, but also some prisoners or families chose not to meet in prison.
Loneliness and depression were extensively described as effects of not receiving visits. Qualities associated with volunteer visitors included raised self-esteem, improved mood and personal growth.
Conclusions. Narratives of the experiences of adult men in prison without visits from family or friends suggest that not only the practical difficulties of imprisonment affect visiting; barriers that prisoners themselves impose would merit further exploration, as would family and relationship dynamics during incarceration and the emotional impact of prison visits, for both prisoners and their families. There are suggestions of therapeutic as well as humanitarian
benefits from volunteer visiting programmes. There is a gap in the literature about any specific effect on rebuilding family relationships.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 271-295 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 22 Feb 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published online - 22 Feb 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 The Authors. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Funding
This research was funded by the Northern Ireland Department for Education’s Research Scholarship, secured via the Economic and Social Research Council’s Northern Ireland and Northeast England Doctoral Training Partnership.
| Funders |
|---|
| Department of Education, Northern Ireland |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Keywords
- Prison visits
- Visitation
- Family ties
- Well being
- Pains of imprisonment
- Deprivation
- Systematic review
- Qualitative
- well-being
- visitation
- pains of imprisonment
- deprivation
- family ties
- prison visits
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