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Press release: 15 December 2009
Core findings of first year study of prisoners’ children
Do the children of prisoners follow in their parents’ footsteps? Is crime somehow hereditary? Do children come to see a criminal life as just normal? Or are the social, economic and emotional effects such that children are stuck in poverty with no apparent way out?
These are some of the questions that we seek to answer in our three year study of the children of prisoners. We begin, in fact, from a much more basic question: How many children of prisoners are there at any given time in New Zealand? Our preliminary and tentative answer is - about 20,000 at the moment, and increasing.
Our study interviewed prisoners, caregivers of the children, some children themselves and a wide range of stakeholders from community and government organisations with an interest in the prisoners of children. In the first year we interview or surveyed over 250 people.
Our findings so far….
Children seem to be present in around 1 in 5 arrests. The process of arrest ranges from relatively benign to quite traumatic. In a small number of cases the arrest has lasting effects on the children. Most children do not go to view the trial, but for some it is an important part of coming to understand why their lives have changed. Prison visiting is important for many in maintaining good family relationships, but distance, institutional practices and cost often make regular visiting difficult. For families that follow their imprisoned family member around the country, there is a cost to be borne.
Most of the families in this study subsist on a benefit. They often face significant debt and costs associated with the imprisonment. Most of these families live well below the poverty line. There are few spare resources for meeting non-essential costs.
The children of prisoners may live with their other parent, a grandparent, older siblings, aunties and occasionally with non-family carers. They often move around quite a lot for a number of reasons, including housing costs, moving away from an area, to live with other people or to be near the prisoner.
These children suffer from an alarming array of physical, emotional and (in some cases) mental health issues. There is little evidence that their health needs are being addressed effectively. Children seem to suffer from nightmares and separation anxiety when younger, then anger, emotional upset and bed-wetting in middle childhood and a worrying range of problems as adolescents. Some have clear signs of mental ill health.
Not surprisingly, the children tend not to do well at school. Transience, low attendance rates, bullying (as victim and perpetrator), as well as difficulties in concentrating, added to the well-documented effects of poverty on educational achievement, mean that the odds are stacked against these children.
About two-thirds of Māori prisoners and one third of pakeha prisoners had lived with a family member who had gone to prison when they were a child. The differences in these figures are wholly explained by the high (8 times higher) rate of Māori imprisonment over pakeha. There are clear trends towards inter generational imprisonment, although the literature suggests the reasons are complex.
This is a study undertaken for the community sector. Our study has begun to investigate the range of community and government services available to help these children and prevent them following their parents into prison. While health and education services are often supportive, the assistance they give appears not to make much difference. Work and Income, who provides the incomes for most of the families, has no specific understanding of any special needs this group has. Services that are funded to offer programmes to these children always have large waiting lists or, in the case of PARS prison visiting fund, may run out of money well before the end of the year.
The study continues next year, as we seek to build a fuller and better informed picture.
You may download the full report on this Home Page (on the right).
Contact:
Liz Gordon, Network Research, 03 980 5422 or 027 454 500
Media release 21 November 2008
Visiting centres at prisons supported
Establishing visiting centres for children and families of inmates at some of New Zealand's main prisons has been supported by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne.
PILLARS, which provides mentoring and other support services to prisoners' children, has been researching the introduction of visiting centres and has plans to lobby Government to consider establishing them at major prisons.
The organisation's president Dr John George and chief executive Verna McFelin recently spoke with Princess Anne about their charity and working with children of prisoners in New Zealand.
"The Princess was very knowledgeable about prison visiting centres and the plight of prisoner's children," says Verna McFelin.
Visiting centres, which already exist in the United Kingdom, provide a central place for children and families to gather before and after seeing a parent or family member in prison, Verna says. They can be a "one stop shop" and provide information , advice and professional services.
"Visiting centres provide an opportunity for children to be supported and not fall through the cracks."
Children of prisoners are about seven times more likely to end up in prison than any other child, without intervention.
"Intervention is essential to ensure that this cycle of crime is broken and that these children have futures that can hold promise. Prisons need to be more family-friendly and improve both the quality and access to connections between an incarcerated parent and their children."
PILLARS had the opportunity to meet with Princess Anne as representatives at the Save The Children volunteer's meeting where the Princess attended as Patron during her visit to Christchurch.
Princess Anne was also interested in the PILLARS mentoring programme for children of prisoners and said that the organisation's recently released guide for mentors was not available in England.
"We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to talk to Princess Anne and have her support for our plans to establish visiting centres in this country," says Verna McFelin.
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Prisoners need to be viewed as parents
NZ Herald 19 February 2008
Be warned: Daunting statistics follow. By May 2007, there were 7911 prisoners locked up in New Zealand prisons – 300 more than last year and 9000 released back into the community.
These are familiar statistics – daunting statistics that drive public opinion and influence policy decisions. But what happens when we look at those statistics from a different perspective? What happens when we view half these prisoners as 3950 locked-up parents whose imprisonment greatly impacts the future of more than 10,000 children who are at risk?
When we view imprisoned parents as people who hold the key to the success of thousands of children, this new perspective raises more than a few tough questions.
Questions like what roles and responsibilities should Government have in supporting critical family connections that are crucial to children’s development and future success? How can prisons become more family-friendly and improve access to, and the quality of, parent /child connections through enhanced visitation policies and child friendly visiting facilities?
What partnerships and linkages can be formed with community based organisations that address the needs of parents, families and children? What ways can we enhance existing prisoner programmes to better address parent education, improve family relationships and assist with reintegration and follow-up once prisoners return to their families in the community.
Today, I draw your attention to an under-served and often ignored population of at risk children whose futures can hold promise – but only with intervention.
The problems of children whose parents are in prison must be addressed, not only for humanitarian reasons, but to attempt to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of crime and violence.
This nation can no longer tolerate having over 10,000 children in limbo. First and foremost, sentencing options must be expanded to be responsive to the needs of the children of prisoners.
Imprisonment and the barriers faced by imprisoned parents in maintaining frequent contacts with their children, should not be the sole basis for recommendations to terminate parental rights.
Mechanisms must be established or strengthened to coordinate family reunification services. Government agencies should develop and fund community agencies who can provide a wide range of support services for imprisoned parents and their children.
Corrections should implement policies that promote positive contacts. This could include special visiting areas for young children.
Pre-release programmes for prisoners should include support for prisoners who are parents returning to their families, assisting them to regain custody of their children where appropriate, and to help secure decent housing and to find employment.
We are punishing the children. Yet in punishing them, we are ultimately punishing ourselves. The ongoing pattern of societal neglect and, often, hostility comes back to haunt us in terms of creating more social problems such as violence, drug abuse and mental illness.
In our collective zeal to condemn lawbreakers, we have inadvertently condemned their children. Alleviating the plight of the children of imprisoned parents does not excuse the misdeeds of their parents, nor should it be viewed as ignoring the serious social and psychological problems faced by those prisoner parents (many of whom were themselves the children of prisoners), but this growing social time bomb must be defused with sound and rational policies.
Greater public awareness of crises faced by these families is a start. Generations are connected. You cannot eliminate the parents without profoundly harming the children. In the end, saving the innocents is one sure way to save our communities and our own families from the cycle of violence that cannot be safely contained by prison walls.
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Disaster warning: Crime tsunami about to hit
Media Release 11 February 2008
New Zealand is about to be hit with the biggest disaster ever recorded in history, and it is not an earthquake. A crime tsunami will hit New Zealand within the next 10 years unless we take action and introduce a planned strategy to support prisoners' children, says Verna McFelin, a leading advocate for children of prisoners and chief executive of PILLARS.
"There is a major problem about there that will have a massive impact on our penal systems - filling our courts and prisons. That problem is the children of prisoners who are seven times more likely to commit a crime later in life than other children," Verna says.
To back up her comments, Verna cites recent research from Canada where 59.7 per cent of adult inmates are children of prisoners and a recent report from USA stated 48%. There is no data collected on these statistics in New Zealand but based on extensive international research these children are identified as "high risk" of filling New Zealand's prisons in the future.
"These kids have to be reached. A planned strategy is needed to break the cycle of intergenerational offending before it is too late. 2008 is the year to act and make a change."
PILLARS is a community-based organisation which aims to break this cycle of crime by supporting prisoners' children and their families through volunteer mentors, a social worker and other support services.
A 13-year-old Christchurch girl with a father n prison had her life turned around when she became involved in PILLARS' mentoring programme.
"We firmly believe that if every prisoner's child in New Zealand was matched with a mentor, the crime rate could be reduced by as much as 50 per cent in 10 years."
Mentors provide a listening ear as many of the prisoners' children who PILLARS sees have no-one else to talk to. "No-one knows that have a parent in prison. We have found a major turn-around in this child's attitude and the bond with her mentor was instrumental, we believe, in how much her life has changed," says Verna. Prisoners' children often show emotional, social and behavioural problems, whick can lead to criminal behaviour, health problems and a poor performance at school.
"There is a lot of shame and it essential that the child's needs are met so they feel secure and confident and can move on with their lives."
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Bill of Rights needed for children of prisoners
Media release: 3 February 2008
A separate Bill of Rights is needed for prisoners’ children, according to PILLARS, a community-based organisation which supports the children of prisoners.
New Zealand has joined lobbying by other countries to introduce a Bill of Rights for children of incarcerated prisoners. "The needs of prisoners' children are quite different and we need to be aware that their rights could be in conflict with what some people, like the Sensible Sentencing Trust, and what the authorities believe is appropriate," says Verna McFelin, a leading advocate for children of prisoners and chief executive of PILLARS.
The San Francisco Partnership for Incarcerated Parents (SFPIP) is also lobbying for a separate Bill of Rights that entitles these children to not be judged, blamed or labelled and to have a lifelong relationship with their parent. "Having a parent in prison can bring a massive life change to these children - they are often isolated and we need to make sure they have been involved in any decisions made about them and to be well cared for while their parent is incarcerated," says Verna.
“There is currently no requirement that institutions dealing with offenders inquire about the children’s existence or concern themselves with the children’s care.” Prisoners’ children have a daunting range of needs, says Verna, and there are not often addressed when their parent is imprisoned.
“They need contact with the parents, to have that relationship recognised and valued, rather than carrying the stigmas of their parent’s actions.”
On behalf of these children, PILLARS is lobbying the New Zealand Government to introduce a separate Bill of Rights for children of inmates. “By acknowledging that these children exist and have different needs, we can make a change that could prevent the cycle of crime – prisoners’ children are seven more times likely to offend than other children without intervention.”
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Disaster warning: Crime tsunami about to hit
Opinions - Press (January 2008)
New Zealand is about to be hit with the biggest disaster ever recorded in history, and it is not an earthquake.
A crime tsunami will hit New Zealand within the next 10 years unless we take action now. There is a major problem out there that will have a massive impact our penal systems filling our courts and our prisons - the children of prisoners.
Recent research in Canada found that 59.7 per cent of adult inmates are children of prisoners.
These kids have to be reached. A planned strategy is needed to break the cycle of intergenerational offending before it is too late.
When a parent is sent to prison, it is often the children who suffer the real punishment. In New Zealand, inmates’ children are seven times more likely to commit a crime later in life than other children of their age. Research has identified that these children are at a “high risk” of filling New Zealand’s prisons in the future.
Our prisons are already struggling to cope with increasing numbers of inmates and the penal system is swamped with new and re-offenders. As we begin 2008 now is the time to act and make a change.
At PILLARS, which is based in Christchurch, our sole aim is to break this cycle of crime by supporting prisoners' children and their families through volunteer mentors, a social worker and other support services.
The mentors who are matched with a prisoner's child based on similar interests and complementary personalities. A social worker also works within the family to turn around any issues like parenting, budgeting and housing.
A 13-year-old Christchurch girl with a father in prison has had her life turned around thanks to PILLARS’ innovative mentoring programme. We firmly believe that if every prisoner’s child in New Zealand was matched with a mentor the crime rate would be by 50 per cent in 10 years.
In just over a year the combination of the mentor building a relationship with the child and a social worker supporting the mother made a huge difference to both the child and her family.
The family, who was referred to PILLARS through the prison system, is now stable and the child is living a relatively normal life. A sense of isolation along with a lack of family routine and rules all led to the girl being hyperactive with emotional and behavioural issues.
We have found a major turn-around in the child's attitude and the bond with her mentor was instrumental, we believe, in how much her life has changed.
Mentors are extremely important to these children because they often have no-one else to talk to and no-one knows they have a parent in prison. Our mentors provide a non-judgemental person to listen to them.
These success stories can be few and far between but we know that we are providing the right sort of support services to turn these children's lives around.
We so appreciate the work PILLARS' mentors do on a volunteer basis and we are always on the look-out for more people to join our team. We are also keen to have more male mentors to provide these children with a different perspective - it is often the father figure who is in prison.
We have found that prisoners' children often show emotional, social and behavioural problems, which can lead to criminal behaviour, health problems and a poor performance at school.
The stigma attached to having a parent in jail is a hard burden for a child to bear and can have a significant impact on their lives. By offering them support in any way we can, they are less likely to be involved in crime and we can make a real change in their lives.
The children's homes can also often be disorganised with a lack of routine, and support. Some families have moved away from their homes for a variety of reasons.
There is a lot of shame and it is essential that the child's needs are met so they feel secure and confident and can move on with their lives.
The problems of these children over their lifetime are likely to incur increased social welfare, justice and health costs, and conversely, reduced income from taxes.
We desperately need to address the needs of prisoners’ children because they are the feeding ground for the majority of future offenders.
PILLARS will push for more crime prevention, to stop the next generation of crime.
It’s time our nation heeded this problem – before it is too late!
Verna McFelinChief Executive, PILLARS
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Prisoners’ children key to stopping cycle of crime
Media release: 24 January 2008
Children of prisoners are seven times more likely to commit a crime, says PILLARS, a community-based organisation that supports prisoners’ children.
With New Zealand prisons struggling to cope with increasing numbers, PILLARS aims to break the cycle of crime by providing mentoring and other support services to these children.
While PILLARS supports screening of children for intervention (NZ Herald, Thursday 24 January) to some degree, research has identified that children of prisoners are at far higher risk of filling New Zealand's prisons in the future.
"When a parent is sent to prison, it's often the children who suffer the real punishment," says Verna McFelin, PILLARS chief executive.
“If every prisoner’s child in New Zealand was matched with a mentor we could cut the crime rate by 50 per cent in 10 years.”
Many of the children PILLARS works with are isolated and hide the fact that their parent is imprisoned. Prisoners' children often show emotional, social and behavioural problems, which can lead to criminal behaviour, have health problems and perform poorly at school, says Verna.
"The stigma attached to having a father in jail is a hard burden for a child to bear and can have a significant impact on their lives. By offering them support in any way we can, they are less likely to be involved in crime and we can make a real change in their lives."
The children's homes can also often be disorganised with a lack of routine, and support. Some families have moved away from their homes and lost their connection with the community, says Verna.
"There is a lot of shame and it's essential that the child's needs are met so they feel secure and confident and can move on with their lives."
PILLARS provides volunteer mentors who are matched with a prisoner's child based on similar interests and complementary personalities. A social worker also works within the family to turn around any issues like parenting, budgeting and housing.
“The problems of these children over their lifetime are likely to incur increased social welfare, justice and health costs, and conversely, reduced income from taxes,” Verna says.
“We need to address this target group because that’s the feeding ground for the majority of future offenders.”
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Angel Tree presents for prisoners’ children
Media release: 21 November 2007
Children of prisoners throughout New Zealand will receive Christmas presents from their incarcerated parent this year, thanks to the Angel Tree project.
About 400 children In the Canterbury area which stretches from Kaikoura to Waimate will receive presents through Angel Tree which is co-ordinated by the Prison Fellowship of New Zealand and PILLARS. "Inmates fill in an application form for presents for their children," says Sam Sivertsen from PILLARS who is organising the project. The requests are then placed on angels and attached to an Angel Tree in churches throughout the region.
Parishioners can then take one and purchase the present for the prisoner's child. "The presents are about $20 - $30 so it's a great way for people to help children who may not receive many other presents during the festive season." Prisoners are also given the opportunity to hand-write cards to attach to the presents. "It's just one way we can help prisoners' children to feel less isolated and lonely at this time when other families can all be together to enjoy the Christmas festivities," says Sam.
PILLARS is a community-based organisation that supports children of prisoners and works to preventing them committing crimes and ending up in prison themselves.
The 400 presents will be wrapped at the PILLARS offices in Christchurch on Thursday 6 December and will then be distributed to the churches to give to the children.
"The children are so happy to receive a gift from their parent even though they can't be with them at Christmas time."
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Australian impressed with PILLARS’ work
29 October 2007
A visiting Australian has praised the work of PILLARS who support children of prisoners in New Zealand, saying that the work is a model they would like to take back over the Tasman.
Arthur Bolkas from the Prison Fellowship of Australia was in New Zealand recently and made a point of visiting PILLARS in Christchurch, after hearing chief executive Verna McFelin speak at a conference earlier in the year.
“I liked what Verna said and the holistic way that PILLARS works with children and families of prisoners,” he says.
As director of Communities of Restoration, based in Victoria, Arthur Bolkas is responsible for preparing inmates “mentally and emotionally” for their release into the community.
The Australian fellowship does not have a mentoring or support programme for children of prisoners.
"We have a keen interest in any Christian programmes that would add value to the work we do,” he says. “We’re very interested in rolling PILLARS out in Australia and talk some more about how we can go this.”
Having a parent in prison can break down the family unit in many ways and does not enhance the relationship between the child and their imprisoned parent.
“PILLARS is extremely professional with a lot of attention to detail, transparent programmes and they really work hard at what they do – the end result is often a well adjusted child and a close family environment – which can make a huge difference to the child’s future.”
PILLARS was established in 1988 as a community-based organisation that supports children of prisoners in New Zealand and to break the cycle of crime.
“Children of prisoners are six to seven times more likely to end up in prison than any other child,” says Verna McFelin, chief executive of PILLARS.
The stigma attached to having a parent in prison can have a significant impact on the life of that child.
“When a parent is sent to prison, it's often the children who suffer the real punishment,” she says.
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Need to Talk to Someone?
26 October 2007
Dr Cindy Kiro, the Commissioner of Children has once again approved a second printing of 5,000 posters for children of prisoners to support them in reaching out for help. The poster which was designed in liaison with the Office of the Commissioner of Children and PILLARS is to counter ignorant taunts and attitudes of peers at school and in the neighbourhood.
PILLARS Chief Executive, Verna McFelin said the idea was to help vulnerable young people stand tall in the face of vicious jibes and know they can reach out for support. Children of prisoners have the same rights as any other child but they are often alienated and ostracised by their peers and other parents because of the crimes their own parent commits. They are left doing their own sentence in the community.
The poster will be distributed to Christchurch Schools and local prisons. The initiative came about a visit from the Commissioner’s office several years ago, who met with 70 children who regularly attended PILLARS programmes that assist them in breaking the cycle of intergenerational offending. ____________________________________________________________________
Child’s life turned around through PILLARS’ support
October 2007
A Christchurch girl with a father in prison has had her life turned around thanks to an innovative programme from PILLARS. Children of prisoners are s times more likely to end up in prison than any other child.
In just a year a mentor working one on one with the 13-year-old combined with a social worker working with the mother has made a huge difference to both the child and her family.
“The family is now stable and the child is living a normal life with relationships in her community,” says Clare Pattison, Regional Co-ordinator of the PILLARS Mentoring Programme.
The family was referred to PILLARS through the prison system.
PILLARS was established in 1988 as a community-based organisation that supports children of prisoners in New Zealand and to break the cycle of crime.
“We believe that if every prisoner’s child in New Zealand was matched with a mentor we could cut the crime rate by 50% in 10 years,” says Clare Pattison.
A sense of isolation along with a lack of family routine and rules all led to the girl being hyperactive and with emotional and behavioural issues when she first became involved with PILLARS a year ago. The 13-year-old girl is the first person to be evaluated through a range of questionnaires which assess the child’s progress.
“There has been a massive turn-around in the child’s attitude and connections,” says Clare Pattison.
“This young girl was incredibly isolated with no family support, transport or connection with the community. Children, and families, with a parent in prison often experience a lot of shame,” says Karen Currie, PILLARS’ Programmes Manager and Social Worker.
The bond with her volunteer mentor has been instrumental in the changes in the life of the child and the success of the programme.
“The mentor role is extremely important because she has no close friends who know about her father being in prison for murder. It gives the child someone to talk to who is non-judgemental and supportive,” says Karen.
The child met with her mentor for between two and six hours a fortnight for the past year doing activities, “hanging out” and chatting.
“The child and her mentor recently celebrated their year together by making friendship bracelets to remember all the good times they’d had.”
As volunteers the mentors are matched with a prisoner’s child based on similar interests and complementary personalities. A social worker also worked within the family to turn around any issues like parenting, budgeting and housing.
“The family situation was chaotic, rules and routines had fallen over. Now the mother is a better parent to her children and the environment is much more stable at home.”
The assessment began exactly one year ago and used the SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) which was developed by Robert Goodman and is available free to organisations working with youth. A Youth Mentor Relationship Questionnaire was also part of the assessment.
The new system being used by PILLARS is now being used for all child/mentor relationships. ____________________________________________________________________
Bunnings Warehouse and PILLARS Charity - Two sides of DIY
March 2007
Bunnings Warehouse Riccarton team members have formed a new relationship within the Christchurch community by reaching out to the PILLARS charity that provides mentoring for children of prisoners and a wrap around social work support programme for their parents.
Volunteering Canterbury was asked by Bunnings Warehouse Riccarton, to recommend a group that needed their help. “We have had a relationship with PILLARS for over 15 years and I knew they needed volunteers to help with a variety of different tasks,” said Patricia Ockwell, Co-ordinator of the Employee Volunteering Programme for Volunteering Canterbury. Now the local Bunnings team is putting their hands to gardening, envelope stuffing, photocopying and general maintenance. Bunnings Warehouse Riccarton will be providing PILLARS with 2 team members for 2 hours a week.
“We are very grateful for the support that they are giving and it is great to see that Bunnings are taking social responsibility seriously”, said Verna McFelin Chief Executive of PILLARS. “We hope that our relationship becomes productive over the years as we become to know each other better.” “In our business, responsibility for local community involvement rests with the store located within the particular community from where the assistance is requested. We believe that the local team is best placed to reflect the needs of the local community,” says Penny Ratcliff, Complex Manager at Bunnings Warehouse Riccarton.
“Other ways we support our local community groups is through the use of our community bbq for fundraising and also our Community Fun Day programme where various community groups youth groups and service organisations are invited to hold information displays and conduct activities at one of our Bunnings Warehouse stores", Penny Ratcliff said.
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