What the Prison Provides

The course can only run successfully if the prison supports it by appointing a Liaison Officer, who can manage the recruitment and selection process, handle the security issues and represent the course to the prison managers. We find the job takes about 8 hours per course.

The other vital requirement is that the course participants can have lunch together. This is a crucial part of the course as it allows the couple (or parent-child) to talk together reinforcing the skills taught on the course.

Other requirements are:

A room that is easily controllable (no nooks and crannies where couples can hide) with two toilets

A supervising officer for the course days (although once prisons become comfortable with our course this often becomes intermittent)

Searching of partners on entry – preferably occasional dog searching

Occasional searching of prisoners on entry/exit

Tea and coffee

Application Boxes on each Wing (this increases applications)

Prisoners put on hold once cleared through Security

Permission to bring in a laptop, DVDs, workbooks, etc.

We provide full details of the recruitment and selection process in a Prison Manual.

Male Prisons - Female Prisons - Young People in Prison