Criticisms of the family event held at HMP Ford are completely unreasonable.

The event was part of a national Family Friendly Prison Challenge, run by Action for Prisoners' Families in October and backed by the Prison Service in an effort to improve the quality of contact between prisoners and their families.

The idea of enabling prisoners to spend time with their children may seem wrong to some people but it is essential.

Normal prison visits provide no real opportunity for positive contact between prisoners and their children. The distances families have to travel mean many do not visit on a regular basis - the families who went to HMP Ford will have spent many hours travelling to the prison and the benefits of a visit such of this should not be ignored.

Maintaining family contact significantly reduces the likelihood of a prisoner re-offending on release. Family visits are especially important for prisoners' children, who have committed no crime and should not be denied a relationship with their parent.

Staff at many of the prisons that participated in the challenge have commented on the benefits they have seen as a result of these visits.

The cost of ignoring the value of families is far higher than the money spent on HMP Ford's family event.

Currently, almost half of all prisoners lose contact with their family and the number of visits to prisons is dropping rapidly.

Prisons that recognise the importance of family contact and try to address these issues should be commended, not condemned.

Lucy Gampell

director, Action for Prisoners' Families

Riverbank House

1 Putney Bridge Approach

-London SW6 3JD