ERIC Number: EJ1158759
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Nov
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0017-8969
EISSN: N/A
Playwork in Prison as a Mechanism to Support Family Health and Well-Being
Woodall, James; Kinsella, Karina
Health Education Journal, v76 n7 p842-852 Nov 2017
Objective: The health of the prison population is of increasing concern, given the disproportionate rates of ill health in this population. Moreover, the challenges faced by prisoners' families and their children are also becoming more apparent, with prisoners' children being more likely than other children to experience mental and emotional health problems and more likely to go to prison themselves. Prison visits are an integral part of institutional structures and are a key way by which families stay in contact and mitigate against the negative effects of family separation. This paper focuses particularly on the impact of prison play visits as an alternative to "standard" visiting procedures. Design: Cross-sectional qualitative study. Setting: A male prison in Northern England. Method: Telephone interviews with six prison visitors who had regularly participated in a play visit, plus a focus group with five prisoners. Results: The paper identifies play visits as a useful way to maintain family well-being as they "mimic," albeit temporarily, domestic life. This is reported to be beneficial for future family outcomes and in enabling children to adjust to parental incarceration. Play visits improve levels of intimacy, which is beneficial for the mental and emotional health of both prisoners and their children. Conclusion: The paper argues for a more holistic notion of prisoner health that sees family connections as a key part of supporting health and well-being.
Descriptors: Well Being, Family (Sociological Unit), Correctional Institutions, Institutionalized Persons, Males, Interviews, Telecommunications, Parent Child Relationship, Foreign Countries, Emotional Adjustment, Case Studies, Qualitative Research, Mental Health, Play, Family Relationship, Intimacy, Holistic Approach
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A