Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that familial relationships are maintained for prisoners that are transferred to prisons more than 100 miles away from their home; and if she will make a statement.

The White Paper on Prison Safety and Reform set out the importance of strengthening family ties, which have a positive impact on a prisoner’s safety and wellbeing and maintaining links within the community.

During induction, any support required to maintain or establish family contact is identified. In some establishments family engagement workers support prisoners and their families to help this process. Family days are held at most prisons where the family can spend time together in as normal an environment as possible. The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme is available to support eligible people who are struggling to meet the costs of visiting someone in prison.

The Secretary of State commissioned Lord Farmer to investigate how supporting men in prison in England and Wales to engage with their families can reduce reoffending and assist in addressing intergenerational crime as part of the reform agenda. The report of the Farmer review is due to be published in the Spring of 2017.