We are delighted to announce that Families on Trial has been awarded the best documentary award in the Babelgum Online film festival.  It was shown in New York on 28th April at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The 5 films were produced by WiredVideo.  They were commissioned by Prisoners’ Families and Friends Service (PFFS) and developed in partnership with SHARP, Action for Prisoners’ Families, Castle Gate Family Centre, NIACRO and Storybook Dads and funded by the Nationwide Foundation. 

The films can be used for training and for raising awareness and can be ordered from PFFS.

More families in the UK are faced with the trauma, stigma and financial challenges accompanying a close relative’s arrest and sentence than anywhere in Europe. The UK prison population has risen by 30% in the last 10 years to 92,000.

The impact of the arrest and sentencing of a parent on children can be severe. Children of prisoners are three times more likely to suffer mental health problems than their peers. 160,000 children a year have a parent taken into custody, more than experience the divorce of a parent.  

These powerful short documentaries, voiced by real family members telling their own moving stories, give a vivid insight into their lives and experiences.  Research shows that a prisoner who has a strong family unit to return to is less likely to re-offend. Those prisoners visited by a partner or family member have a 25% lower re-offending rate than those whose families do not support them. Sadly, one in four men and half of all women on remand receive no visits from their family.

Judge Chapple, from the Inner London Crown Court said:

"One of the saddest aspects of my job is the number of repeat offenders that I see in front of me. Often, these are individuals who have become isolated from their families and support networks; all too often they become trapped in a spiral of decline and despair. All evidence suggests that offenders who continue to have contact with and support from their families are more likely to exit the criminal justice system and achieve a successful rehabilitation back into society.

The pressure on offenders' families is often intense and so we must do all that we can to support them and ensure that the intrinsic role they play in rehabilitating their family members is recognised, appreciated and supported. Their role is vital - not only for their families' wellbeing – but also for the dramatic difference they can make to wider society by helping break the cycle of crime."   

(Published 28 April)

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