RT Article
T1 Disconnected: Exploring provisions for mother–child telephone contact in female prisons serving England and Wales
JF Criminology & criminal justice
VO 20
IS 2
SP 150
OP 168
A1 Booth, Natalie
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1786117150
AB Despite a growing body of international work describing the negative consequences of imprisonment for children and families, few studies have explored the accessibility and functionality of prison telephones. Mother-child contact has recurrently been identified as an important mechanism to alleviate and manage some of the emotional and practical adversities which accompany maternal imprisonment, and telephone contact has the potential to provide regular, perhaps even daily, contact for these separated family members. Responding to the knowledge gap, this article qualitatively explores the narratives of 15 mothers in prison with first-hand experience of using prison telephones to communicate with their children. Thematic data analysis revealed four critical obstacles and challenges with prison telephone facilities for Reconnecting in the first weeks, in the Cost of calling, in Telephoning privileges and Inconsistencies across prisons. Contrary to legal and policy guidelines, the findings illuminate how institutional barriers seriously affect mother-child communications, and recommendations are made.
K1 Children of prisoners
K1 Mothers in prison
K1 Penal Policy
K1 Prison telephone contact
K1 Prisoners’ families
K1 Qualitative prison research
DO 10.1177/1748895818801806