Peer-reviewed article
Symbiotic Harms of Imprisonment and the Effect on Children’s Right to Family Life
Shona Minson, Catherine Anne Flynn ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This research examines how COVID-19 restrictions in prisons affected children whose parents were imprisoned, particularly the bans on family visits. Using survey and interview data from the UK and Australia during lockdowns, the study explores how the loss of face-to-face contact harmed children's relationships, health and wellbeing. The research introduces the concept of 'symbiotic harms' to show how children's suffering was amplified by the combined effects of their own isolation from their parent and their parent's and caregiver's distress.
Key points
- COVID-19 prison restrictions led to almost universal bans on family visits in many jurisdictions
- Children lost face-to-face contact with imprisoned parents, with alternative forms of contact not always available
- The study uses the concept of 'symbiotic harms' to explain how children's experiences of lost contact interacted with parents' and caregivers' experiences, amplifying harm
- Children's rights to family life and contact with imprisoned parents were significantly interfered with during the pandemic
- The research is based on survey and interview data collected during lockdowns in the UK and Australia
Limitations
The document does not specify the number of participants, age ranges of children studied, or detailed findings about specific health and wellbeing outcomes. It is unclear what specific alternative contact methods were attempted or why they were unavailable.
Abstract
Abstract Measures taken by governments to address covid-19 in prisons, have impacted significantly on the lives and rights of children. There has been consequential interference with children’s rights to family life and to contact with a parent from whom they have been separated. Since the onset of the pandemic, prisoners in many jurisdictions have lived under restricted regimes with almost universal bans on family visits. Children have not had face-to-face contact with their imprisoned parents, and alternate forms of contact have not always been available to them. Using survey and interview data collected during lockdowns in the UK and Australia, we consider the implications of the interference with the rights of children with an imprisoned parent. Focusing on their relationships, health and wellbeing and using the concept of symbiotic harms, we note how children’s experiences of the cessation of contact interacted with parents’ and caregivers’ experiences, amplifying the harms to children.