Imagine the courtroom scene: a defendant has been found guilty of a crime and is due to be sentenced. Watched by family members, he or she is sentenced to a term in prison and immediately led away, out of sight, to a cell.

Within minutes, the family of the prisoner can run a whole gamut of emotions, from shock, to disbelief, to bewilderment. And then come the practical questions: how do you arrange to visit them, how soon can you speak to them, which prison are they being sent to...

Until now there has been very little practical help for the families of prisoners. But through a new organisation in Sussex volunteers meet families in court and offer emotional support and practical advice.

“Most prisoners are men, so most of those left dealing with the trauma, emotional distress and practical difficulties on their own are women,” said Sam Hart, one of three volunteers at Sussex Prisoners’ Families, which is based at St Richard’s Community Centre in Brighton.

She has worked with families in the criminal justice system in both men’s and women’s prisons, and also works for Action for Prisoners’ Families, an umbrella group that promotes the just treatment of prisoners’ families by the prison system and society.

“Families of prisoners are at risk of poverty, depression and hostility from their local community and children are two to three times more likely to suffer from mental health problems than their peers,” said Sam. “At the moment, there is no official process for helping families immediately after sentencing and we will approach families in courts and offer help at the point where the questions begin.

“Many don’t expect a prison sentence to be handed out so they’re unprepared for it. Sometimes, a defendant has played down his role in crime to his family, so it can be a huge shock to them when they’re sent to prison.

“When people are in shock, they don’t know what to do. There was one case where the defendant had driven the family to court and was unexpectedly jailed, with the car keys in his possession and leaving his family with no means of getting home. And families often also need help on issues such as tenancy or rent arrangements and benefits. We can help on that.”

Government figures for 2013 show that the vast majority of the 83,842-strong prison population in England and Wales were male, and only 3,853 were women.

Last week Barnardo’s published a report about children affected by parental imprisonment. It said there are no official figures of children of prisoners because “they are unlikely to reveal themselves for fear of social stigma and bullying and so remain hidden from local services”.

Barnardo’s estimated that 200,000 children are affected across England and Wales. Sussex Prisoners’ Families estimates the number in Sussex is somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 and said maintaining family contact during a prison sentence is key to reducing re-offending, yet nearly half of prisoners lose contact with their families during a sentence.

Sam said: “In my experience, women will make incredibly long journeys to visit men in prison, often with children, but that’s not the case with men when women are in prison.

“Some women in prison don’t receive any visitors at all – sometimes because they don’t want to - and often don’t see their children.

“I worked with one woman prisoner who hadn’t seen her children for four years because she couldn’t find anyone to bring them.”

Sussex Prisoners’ Families plans to run a training course covering a range of issues for professionals such as teachers who come into contact with the families of prisoners.

  • The organisation, which will be operational in Crawley, Lewes, Brighton, Hove and Worthing courts, is looking for volunteers. It would like to hear from caring, non-judgmental people who want to volunteer as family support workers in court. Full training will be given.