Case studies

Case studies

Prisoner

For most prisoners it comes as a relief to meet a friendly SHARP representative during their induction into prison, which can take as long as a week. For some it will be their second prison term and for others their first time. The overwhelming experience is often made worse due to worries about family or friends on the outside, especially as communication is so difficult. So it is our aim to reassure the prisoner that we are there to help their family in any way possible and we hope that in turn this will help them to feel everything is under control.

This was the case with Anthony who had been given a three year sentence for supplying drugs. Before he went to prison he was very hands on with his children and although he was no longer with their Mother he played a very active role in their lives, on a daily basis. He wanted us to contact his children's mother to offer our support and also his own mother who he felt was ashamed of him. He also felt very ashamed of himself and that he has let his family down and unable to do anything about it as he is powerless in prison.

We made contact with his ex partner who welcomed our support as the children were very upset, confused and having trouble at school. She was also having a personal battle over whether she should allow the children on a prison visit, as she felt they are far too young to be in such a place. Decisions like this are of course a personal thing but we were able to discuss in great detail what she or the children should expect if she did decide to take them and we were also able to forward advice leaflets to help her to come to her decision.

Anthony's mother was also grateful for us in making contact and we were able to have many in depth conversations about how she was feeling regarding the imprisonment of her son and to also offer practical advice regarding visiting and where to go to get help with travelling expenses. We are still in fairly regular contact now and all of the family know they can contact us if they have any questions or if they would just like a general chat.

After the initial meeting with Anthony we were able to make contact with his family and return to the prison the following week with several messages to pass on! The most important one being that his family loved and missed him very much and that they will be there for him throughout his prison sentence and on his release.

Parent

Claire was faced with her son arriving home one afternoon with a confession that he had hit someone with a baseball bat and that he thought they were dead. It is impossible to know what you would do in this situation, although we all know that the right thing to do is to call the police and that is exactly what Claire did. Her son was then charged with murder and remanded to a Young Offenders Institution.

By the time Claire made contact with SHARP the family had already been to court for preliminary hearings and had no idea of the procedures so we were able to explain the basics and that our Court Helpdesk was available should she require any support when next there. The situation became more complicated when Claire was informed that she would have to be a witness for the prosecution. Fortunately a SHARP Family Support Worker was able to accompany Claire to the court for the majority of the trial and we hope that this support helped her though such a terrible time and hope that this support will continue over the years to come.

Shaun was eventually found guilty and given a life sentence. 12 years. We continue to remain in contact with Claire who has become a friend to us all!

Partner

Sarah was heavily pregnant when her partner was convicted of Causing Death by Dangerous Driving and because Dean had spent a lot of time on bail and awaiting sentencing it was not a shock when he was convicted to 5 years in prison, as he had been told to expect 5 - 7 years.

The couple had sought help from SHARP before he was sent to prison, as they knew what was coming and wanted to be prepared. Dean had come to visit us at the office and we were able to talk him through the procedure of going from court to custody and what to expect when arriving at prison. It was clear he found the visit confusing and overwhelming. The prospect of prison is a lot to take in,
so we followed up the visit with a letter outlining the points discussed to ensure he had not forgotten anything important.

Following Dean's sentencing, Sarah kept in touch and we were able to offer practical advice regarding visiting and benefits. When their daughter was born Sarah had great difficulty informing Dean and we were able to contact the prison on her behalf to rectify this situation. We had initially tried to organize a baby bonding visit, although unfortunately this particular prison would not allow this (they are all very different!) despite our best efforts.

Sarah found that she was having financial difficulty after having the baby and explained that she was rarely speaking to Dean, as he could not afford to call her mobile and she could not afford to have a landline installed. She also had to take her car off the road as she couldn't afford the tax or MOT and this of course affected visiting Dean. We at SHARP have a wonderful trust who give grants to prisoners' families who are suffering particular hardship and we were able to apply on behalf of Sarah. They awarded her £300 to get her landline installed and get her car back on the road, so that she would then be able to speak regularly with Dean, and visit.

Sarah calls our helpline whenever she has a question or would like a chat.