Prisons Week

Prisons Week 2013 runs from 17 to 23 November

The number of children whose parents are in prison is one of the issues being highlighted by Prisons Week, which runs from 17 to 23 November.  The concern has been raised by Bob Wilson, secretary for prison chaplaincy of the Free Churches Group, who said that 200,000 children were affected by the imprisonment of a parent in 2009.

These figures were given in the House of Lords on 29 August in response to an enquiry on how many children there were in England and Wales who had one or two parents in prison.

‘Stand in the Light’ is the title of this year’s Prisons Week. The week developed from Prisoners’ Week, which was first established in 1975, in England and Wales, to encourage prayer within churches and the wider Christian community for the needs of prisoners. 

The change of name, to Prisons Week, was made in 1995, when the focus of attention was broadened to include not only the needs of prisoners but all those involved in the field of prison care: the families of prisoners, victims of crime, prison staff and many volunteers.

There are 85,337 people currently in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales, according to the latest figures released by the Howard League for Prison Reform. The male prison population is 81,371 and the female prison population is 3,966.

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