Young offenders institutions
Suicide prevention & family contact
Suicide prevention
Talk to Me
Talk to Me is the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) (2016) prevention of suicide in prisons strategy, the aims of which are to:
- Assume a shared responsibility for the care of those ‘At Risk’ of suicide
- Work together to provide a person centred care pathway based on an individual’s needs, strengths and assets
- Promote a supportive environment where people in custody can ask for help
To achieve this, numerous key areas are focused on including:
- Assessment
- Care
- The provision of a supportive environment and regime
- Partnership working, including with children, young people and their families
- Support on release and reintegration, including enabling access to any specific support services the young person may require
- Staff training
- Support following bereavement
Following a death in custody
- Following a suicide, the critical incident response and support process will be implemented which should include SPS and NHS staff;
- Following any death in custody, a death in prison learning, audit and review will be conducted internally by SPS and NHS Health Boards which enables consideration of the circumstances of the incident and any immediate actions taken, as well as recording any learning and identified actions
- A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) will be held in a sheriff court, summaries from which are published.
The involvement of families
Improved family involvement where an individual has given consent is one of the priorities of Talk to Me. Families are often concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of young people in custody, may notice changes in behaviour of concern, and the breakdown in family relationships can be a factor in suicidal ideation and behaviour.
The SPS has a procedure for handling contact from families who express concerns about a family member. The Families Outside information sheet Are you worried about a prisoner’s health? contains further information and the SPS family contact officers and Chaplains can offer support and signpost.
Family contact
Research by Smith, Dyer and Connelly (2014) highlighted the importance of family members as a source of support for young males in custody and the prevalence of young people returning to their families of origin on leaving custody. While this may be less likely for young women, relationships are crucial to stability and desistance post-release (Bateman and Hazel, 2014). Maintaining contact with family can however be difficult for various reasons, which may include:
- For families – practical issues, nature of the offence, length of sentence, stigma, or because they themselves were victims
- The child or young person severs contact
- Contact may be legally prevented
Likewise, family contact cannot be assumed to be positive for the child or young person and/or family members. An assets-based genogram is a useful starting point for discussing and assessing relationships.
Children and young people in custody can be supported in respect of family contact by their Personal Officer, family contact officers, in some cases parenting officers, community-based social work and wider staff involved with the child or young person. Support to promote and in respect of contact should also be made available to family members (see Weaver and Nolan (2015), Framework for the support of families affected by the Criminal Justice System, and McGillivary (2016)).
Information for children
Regardless of whether a family wishes to maintain contact, discussing a family member’s imprisonment with children is often difficult. Information about how to approach this and publications for children and young people are available from Families Outside and KIN (see resources below).
Family work and family support
Where a child or young person:
- Intends to return to reside with their family on return to the community
- Is subject to a Compulsory Supervision Order
- Is entitled to statutory throughcare/aftercare support or
- Will be released on licence
Work with their family should be included as part of the Child’s Plan as appropriate (Scottish Government, 2011). This can include support from third sector organisations.
The impacts of imprisonment on children, families and relationships can be significant and wide ranging but is influenced by a variety of factors (Weaver and Nolan, 2015). It is therefore important children and families of prisoners are identified, individualised and holistic assessments are completed, and that support is provided (Weaver and Nolan, 2015; CJAs, 2015; McGinley, 2018 ). This should include support in their own right as detailed in Good Practice Guidance for the Support of Families Affected by Imprisonment and Framework for the support of families affected by the Criminal Justice System. The third sector has an invaluable role in providing information and support for families. For example, Families Outside offer an independent support and advice helpline and information about contact (see resources below). In addition, each YOI in Scotland has at least one family contact officer, who should be available as a contact point for families, and staffed visitor centres outside the YOI.
Resources for this page
Suicide prevention
- Families Outside Are you worried about a prisoner’s health?
- Judiciary of Scotland Fatal Accident Inquiries
- Scottish Government Support for young people in custody
- Scottish Prison Service. (2016). Talk to Me: Prevention of Suicide in Prison Strategy 2016-2021. Edinburgh: SPS.
Family contact
- Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland Financial help for families affected by imprisonment
- Families Outside
- Families Outside: Information for children and young people
- Families Outside: Talking to Children and Young People about Imprisonment Information Sheet
- Families Outside: Tools for professionals
- Families Outside: Travel & Transport to Scottish Prisons and Help with Travel Expenses Information Sheet>
- Families Outside: Visiting a Scottish Prison with your Child Information Sheet
- Families Outside: Visiting someone in a Scottish Prison Information Sheet
- Families Outside: What happens when a relative is sent to prison A booklet for children aged 4–11
- Families Outside: What happens when a relative is sent to prison A booklet for young people aged 12–16
- KIN
- Samaritans
- Scottish Prison Service Families
- Scottish Prison Service Standards for Encouraging Family Contact
- Scottish Welfare Fund
- Bateman, T. and Hazel, N. (2014). Resettlement of girls and young women: research report. London: Beyond Youth Custody.
- Community Justice Authorities (CJAs). (2015). Framework for the support of families affected by the Criminal Justice System. Scotland: CJAs.
- Criminal Justice Family Support Network. (2015). Good Practice Guidance for the Support of Families Affected by Imprisonment. Edinburgh: Families Outside.
- Hazel, N., Goodfellow, P., Wright, S., Lockwood, K., McAteer, L., Francis, V. and Wilkinson, S. (2016). The role of family support in resettlement: a practitioner's guide. London: Beyond Youth Custody.
- McGillivary, C. (2016). Rendering Them Visible: A Review of Progress Towards Increasing Awareness and Support of Prisoners’ Families. Edinburgh: Families Outside.
- McGinley, M. (2018). The impact of parental imprisonment: an exploration into the perspectives and experiences of children and young people affected. Edinburgh: Families Outside.
- Scottish Government. (2011). Reintegration and Transitions – Guidance for Local Authorities, Community Planning Partnerships and Service Providers. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.
- Smith, S., Dyer, F. and Connelly, G. (2014). Young Men in Custody: A report on the pathways into and out of prison of young men aged 16 and 17. Glasgow: CYCJ.
- Weaver, B. and Nolan, D. (2015). Families of Prisoners: A review of the evidence. Glasgow: CYCJ.