The impact of a prison sentence on the family of a prisoner has been increasingly addressed in recent years (Farmer, 2017) and the adverse consequences for children are also well documented (Burke, 2017; Beresford, 2018).
Correspondingly, many family members express the view that they themselves are ‘doing time’ as the enduring upheaval in their lives can feel as if they too have been sentenced. Consequently, this issue prompts questions regarding the extent to which these experiences continue when a service user is released on licence and has to report to probation, or indeed how it feels for family members if an individual is made subject to a community order. In a recent research study undertaken by KSS CRC Research and Policy Unit some partial insights into these questions have been gleaned. The study, entitled ‘The Family Involvement Project’, was designed to examine the views and experiences of both staff and family members’ involvement in probation services within the organisation. Based on interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, the findings include some unforeseen accounts indicating that some supportive family members feel as if they are also on probation. Here we trace some of the study narratives in an effort to understand the emotional, relational and material journeys that certain family members undertake. The final report, due to be completed in the next few weeks, will cover all aspects of the research.
