1

AnInitialEvaluation

MissLaurenMumbyandProfessorToddHogue,UniversityofLincoln,UK

August2017

2

Contents PageIntroduction

3

Method

7

Results–quantitativedata

10

Results–qualitativedata

18

PersonalStories

40

Discussion

43

References

46

Appendix1–suggestionsfeedback

48

Appendix2–summaryofbenefits

50

3

IntroductionTheUKprisonpopulationcurrentlystandsatjustunder86,000(MinistryofJustice,2017)

andtheaveragecostperprisonerisapproximately£35,000peryear(MinistryofJustice,

2013).Theacknowledgedreoffendingrateforadultsreleasedfromcustodyis44.1%

(MinistryofJustice,2017b)withreoffendingestimatedtocostinexcessof£80,000per

offender(DeLasCasasetal,2011).Intimesofausterity,theMinistryofJusticeisunder

pressuretoreducenumberofprisonersandreduceoffendingandreoffending.

Addedtothefinancialcosts,imprisonmentisoftenatraumatictimeforthoseimprisoned,

andtheirfamilies.In2016,119self-inflicteddeathswererecordedinprisonsinEngland

andWales,arecordhigh;therewere37,784incidentsofself-harm,anincreaseof23%from

thepreviousyear(MinistryofJustice2017c).Asignificantfactorrelatedtosuicideandself-

harmincustodyisfamilyties.Prisonerswhohaveattemptedsuicidehavebeenfoundto

misstheirfamiliesmoreandtohavereducedcontactwiththem(Liebling,1992).Thepains

ofimprisonmentthesis(Sykes,1958)arguesthatprisonoftenplacessignificantstrainon

personalrelationshipsresultingfromthephysicalseparationandemotionaltrauma

resultingfrom,oftensudden,separation.Afailuretomaintainfamilyrelationshipscanlead

toincreasedemotionalinstabilityduringimprisonmentandlimitedsocialtiesforrelease

(Adams,1992;Cochran,2013).Thismaymanifestinfurthernegativebehavioursinside

prisonsuchasviolenceandgeneralmisconduct(BurnettandMaruna,2004).

Conversely,familialattachmentsandcontactduringprisonsentenceshavebeenreported

ascrucialforhelpingpeopleincustodycopewiththepressuresofprisonlife,suchasthe

feelingsofisolationassociatedwithimprisonment(Agnew,1992);cancontributetowards

decreasedmisconductwhilstinprison(Maruna,2001);andprovidesupportandhopefor

release(e.g.Agnew,1992;Rocqueetal,2013).Familytiesprovideasenseofbelonging,

securityandhappiness(DeLasCasasetal,2011).Desistanceliteraturealsoreportsthat

thereisavitalroleinfamilybondsforreducingreoffending(SampsonandLaub,1993).

Morespecifically,menwhomaintainedcontactwiththeirchildrenduringimprisonment,

demonstratedimprovedresettlementoutcomes(Visher,2013).Prisonerswhoimproved

theirfamilyrelationshipsduringtheirsentenceresultedinlowerlevelsofreoffending,

4

higherlevelsofemploymentandlowerlevelsofdruguseonreleasethanthosewhodidnot

improverelationships(Brunton-SmithandMcCarthy,2016).Identifyingopportunitiesto

maintainandstrengthenfamilyrelationshipswhileapersonisincarceratedmay,therefore

haveasignificantcontributiontoimprovingsafetyinprisons,limitingreoffendingandaiding

resettlement.

Familiesthemselvesalsosufferasaresultofimprisonment.Familieshavetocopewith

practical,financialandemotionalconsequenceswhichcansubsequentlyhaveafurther

impactonrelationships.Lossofincome,isolation,relationshipdeteriorationandextra

childcarecommitmentscanincreasethesenseoflossandhopelessnessexperiencedby

families(Loucks,2004;Murray,2005;Codd,2007).Lossofincomeisexacerbatedby

increasedexpenditureonvisits,telephonecallsandsendingmoneytoimprisonedrelatives

(BramanandWood,2003).Furthermore,itisestimatedthat160,000childrenintheUKare

affectedbyparentalimprisonment(SocialExclusionUnit,2007)andtheycansufferarange

ofproblemsduringtheincarcerationperiodincludingdepression,aggression,eating

problems,sleepproblemsandschoolrelatedissues(Boswelletal,2002).However,

increasingfamilycontactisthoughttomoderatetheseeffects.Forexample,maintaining

familytieshasbeenfoundtoincreasetheresilienceofchildren(GarmezyandRutter,1983).

Itisclearthatmaintainingandimprovingfamilytieswhileapersonisimprisonedcanhavea

significantimpactonboththeprisonerandtheirfamilywithregardtoincreasingsafety,

improvingresettlement,reducingtheeffectsonthefamilyandultimatelydecreasing

recidivism.Despitethis,prisonershavelimitedmeanstokeepincontactwiththeirfamilies.

Theycanreceivevisitsbutthisprocessisoftenfraughtwithchallengesforthosevisiting

suchasdistancetotraveltotheprison,employmentcommitments,poorstaffattitudesand

difficultiesinaccessinginformation(Codd,2007).Theycansendandreceivelettersbypost

ore-mail,iftheyaresufficientlyliterate.Theycanmakephonecalls,butthesearelimited

tocertaintimesofthedaywhenprisonersareallowedoutsidetheircells,oftenresultingin

queuesforthelimitednumberofavailablephones.Themajorityofprisonershaveno

legitimateaccesstomobiletelecommunicationsandinformationtechnologythatdominates

personalcommunicationinthecommunity(PrisonsandProbationOmbudsman,PPO,

2014).WhilethePPOcallsuponallprisonstosupportfamilytieswhilestillensuring

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securityandpublicprotection(PPO,2014),familyandfriendsarestillunabletomakea

simpletelephonecalltotheimprisonedperson.Alongsidethis,ithasbeenwidely

publicisedthatthereisdecreasedstaffingandresourcelevelswithinUKprisons(e.g.The

HowardLeague,2016)bothofwhichimpactnegativelyonphoneaccess.

PrisonVoicemail

Itisagainstthisbackdropofcomplexprisonchallengesthatthesocialstart-up,Prison

Voicemail,hasemergedasapotentiallysignificantmoderatorfortheseissues.

PilotedatHMPLincolnin2015asatelephonevoicemailservice,PrisonVoicemailisnow

operationalin100ofthe121prisonestablishmentscurrentlyoperationalacrossEngland

andWales(www.justice.gov.uk,2017).Theserviceallowsprisonersandtheirfamiliesor

friendstoexchangevoicemailstoandfromprison.Eachprisonerandtheirfamily/friends

areassignedauniquelandlinenumberwhichisattachedtoaspecificmobilenumber.The

personinprisoncanlistentothevoicemailsfromtheirfamily/friendsandreplyshouldthey

wish.Familyandfriendsareabletopurchaseapackageofminutestoleavevoicemailsfor

peopleinprisonona‘payasyougo’ormonthlysubscriptionbasisandthecosttothe

personinprisonisthesameascallingaUKlandline.Messagescanbeleftanytimeandare

immediatelyavailableonthereceivingendsotheycanberetrievedatanytime.Messages

canbesentandretrievedbyfamilyandfriendsfrommobilesandlandlinesintheUKand

abroad.TheservicewasdevelopedbyPhonehubIOLtdincollaborationwithHMPPS

(previouslyNOMS)toensurethatitcomplieswithPrisonServiceOrdersrelatingtosecurity

andpublicprotection.Theservicerequiresnoadditionalphonelineswithinprisonsandthe

administrationbyprisonsisminimalwithmostoftheworkundertakenbyPrisonVoicemail

staff.PrisonVoicemailcanbesetuponlineoroverthephoneandin2017PrisonVoicemail

launchedamobilephoneappversionforfamilyandfriends.

PrisonVoicemailevidenceslotsofanecdotalfeedbackontheirwebsite

(www.prisonvoicemail.com)andTwitterfeeds(@PrisonVoicemail).However,todatethere

hasbeennoformalevaluationoftheservice.TheUniversityofLincolnwascommissioned

byPrisonVoicemailtoundertakeaninitialexploratoryevaluationandthisisdetailedinthis

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report.Theevaluationtookthreephases:surveystoprisoners,surveystofamilies/friends

andinterviewswithfamilies/friends.

7

Method

Ethicalconsiderations:TheevaluationwasapprovedbytheNationalOffender

ManagementServiceNationalResearchCommitteeandTheUniversityofLincolnSchoolof

PsychologyResearchEthicsCommitteeandwascarriedoutinlinewithTheBritish

PsychologicalSociety’sCodeofEthicsandConduct.Datacollectionwascarriedout

betweenFebruaryandJune2017.Participantsforallstagesoftheresearchwereprovided

withuniquenumberstocontactPrisonVoicemailintheeventthattheywishedtowithdraw

theirdatafromtheresearchwithin2weeksfromcompletionofthesurvey/interview.No

onechosetowithdraw.Furtherethicalconsiderationsaredetailedbelow.

Participants:PotentialparticipantsforthesurveyswereidentifiedbyPrisonVoicemail

usingthecriteriathattheyhadcalledtheserviceatleast5timeswithintheprevious30

days.Thisminimisedsendingsurveystoprisonerswhohadalreadybeenreleasedandto

targetactiveusers.169surveysweresenttoprisonersand81responded.169surveys

weresenttofamily/friendsand77responded.

Participantsformoredetailedinterviewswereidentifiedfromthosecompletingthe

family/friendsurvey.Thesurveycontainedthefollowingstatement:‘Pleaseleaveyour

detailsonlyifyouwouldliketobecontactedbytelephonetoprovidefurtherfeedback

aboutPrisonVoicemail’.32respondentsprovidedtheirdetailstoallowfurthercontact.

Thisinformationwassharedwiththeresearchersviaapasswordprotectedzipfile.From

this,individualswerecontactedand18interviewscompleted.

Furtherinformationregardingthecharacteristicsoftherespondentsisprovidedwithinthe

resultssection.

Materials:Thesurveysusedweredevelopedtoassessarangeofdemographicandsocial

issuesrelevanttotheiruseofthePrisonVoicemailservice.Thequestionnairewas

developedforprisonercompletionwithaslightlyamendedoneforusebyfamily/friends.

Thesurveysweredesignedtoascertainsomebackgroundinformationincludingage,

locationandcustodystatus(e.g.remand/sentenced,lengthofsentence),someinformation

abouthowtheyfoundoutaboutPrisonVoicemail,whotheyuseitwithandhowoften;

8

followedbyandaseriesofevaluativestatementswiththefollowingresponseoptions:not

applicable,stronglydisagree,slightlydisagree,slightlyagree,stronglyagree.Therewere

also3openquestionstogatherqualitativedata.Thefirstquestionasked,ifpeopledidnot

usethereplyservice,whynot?However,allrespondentsindicatedtheyusedthereply

servicesonofurthercommentsweremade.Thesecondquestionasked,iftherewereany

improvementsparticipantscouldthinkofandthefinalquestionasked,iftherewasany

otherfeedbackorcommentsthey’dliketogive.Thesurveyalsoconsistedofan

informationsheetdetailingethicalconsiderationsincludingvoluntaryparticipation,rightto

withdraw,sourcesofsupport,confidentialityandaconsentconfirmation.Adebriefsheet

wasattachedtotheendofthesurveystoexplainwhatwouldhappennextandaboutdata

protectionconsiderations.

Procedure:PrisonVoicemailpostedpapercopiesofthesurveystotheprisonersattheir

prisonaddress.Aself-addressedpre-paidenvelopeusingBusinessReplyPluswassentwith

thesurveysothattheycouldbereturnedatnocosttotheprisoner.PrisonVoicemail

scannedandanonymisedthesurveysbeforesendingthemontotheresearchersusinga

securepasswordprotected‘WeTransfer’.Theresearchersentered,codedandanalysedthe

quantitativedatausingIBMSPSSversion23.

ThefamiliessurveysweremadeavailableonlineusingGoogleforms.PrisonVoicemail

collatedthedataintoananonymisedexcelspreadsheettosendtotheresearchersusinga

passwordprotectedzipfile.ThedatawasrecodedintoSPSSforanalysis.

Theresearcherscontactedthepeoplewhohadprovidedtheircontactdetailsandaskedif

theywouldstillliketoprovidefurtherfeedbackregardingPrisonVoicemail.Allofthe18

peoplewhowereabletobecontactedwerewillingtogoaheadwiththeinterviews.They

wereofferedthechoiceofwhethertodotheinterviewstraightawayoriftheywouldliketo

arrangeamoreconvenienttime.Somemadealternativearrangements,usuallydueto

workcommitments.The14non-participantseitherdidnotanswertheirphoneorthe

phonedidnotconnect.Respondentswerecontactedonthreedifferentoccasions(duringa

weekday,duringamid-weekeveningandduringaweekend)beforebeingremovedfrom

thelist.Atthestartoftheinterview,anexplanationwasprovidedregardingtheethical

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requirementsofthestudyincluding;confidentiality,dataprotectionandrighttowithdraw

beforeverbalconfirmationofconsent.

Theinterviewsweresemistructuredwith8guidequestionsbuttheintervieweroccasionally

askedfurtherquestionstoclarifyordrawfurtherinformationout.Thequestionswere:

• TellmeyourthoughtsandexperiencesgenerallyaboutPrisonVoicemail

• WhatdidyouthinkwhenyoufirstfoundoutaboutPrisonVoicemail?

• HowdidyoufindsettingupandusingPrisonVoicemail?

• WhatsortsofmessageswouldyouusePrisonVoicemailfor?

• WhatdoyouthinkarethebenefitsofusingPrisonVoicemailtoyouandtheperson

inprison?

• Whatdoyouthinkaboutthecost?

• ArethereanyimprovementsyouthinkPrisonVoicemailshouldmake?

• Isthereanyfurthercommentsorfeedbackyou’dliketogive?

Theinterviewswereconductedinpre-bookedenclosedprivateworkspaceswithinthe

Universitywithonlytheinterviewerpresenttoensureconfidentiality.Theinterviewswere

conductedusingapayasyougomobile(withthephonenumberwithheld)purchasedfor

theresearch,usedonloudspeakerandrecordedusinganencrypteddictaphone.Thephone

numbersweredeletedfromthemobileafteruse.Theinterviewsweredeletedfromthe

dictaphoneoncetranscriptionwascomplete.Automatictranscriptionwastrialledusing2

freetranscriptionsservicesbutwasnotfoundtobeaccurateandthereforetranscription

wascompletedmanually.Thelevelofdetailfromtheinterviewsdidnotallowidentification

ofparticipantsbutoccasionallyfirstnameswerespokenandthesewereremovedfromthe

transcripts.

ThequalitativedatafromthesurveysandinterviewswassubjectedtoaThematicAnalysis

usingtheprinciplesdetailedbyBraunandClarke(2008).

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Results

1. Prisonersurveys

Participantinformation

Theaverageageofprisonrespondentswas40.48years,withanagerangeof19-71years.

ThissuggeststhattheageprofilewaslargelyrepresentativeoftheUKprisonpopulation

(AllenandWatson,2017).

AllbutonerespondentreportedEnglishastheirfirstlanguage.Individualswhohave

Englishasasecondaryorotherlanguageappeartobeunderrepresentedwith(foreign

nationalsrepresentapproximately15%oftheprisonpopulationinEnglandandWales).Itis

notclearwhethertherearefewerforeignnationalsusingtheserviceorwhetherpeople

withEnglishasasecondaryorotherlanguagewerejustlesslikelytoparticipateinthe

research.

Prisonstatus

Formostrespondentsitwastheirfirsttimeincustody(73.4%)whichcouldindicatehigher

usageamongstfirsttimeprisoners.Althoughabout20%ofuserswereonremand,the

majorityweresentencedbothatthetimetheycompletedtheirsurvey(85.2%)andatthe

timetheystartedusingPrisonVoicemail(79.5%).

Amajorityofparticipantswereservingsentencesofover12months(64%)or

Life/indeterminate(28%).Thisisanover-representationoflongersentenceswhen

comparedwiththegeneralprisonpopulation(AllenandWatson,2017).Thisisindicativeof

agreaterneedtokeepintouch(usingPrisonVoicemail)withinthoseonlongersentences.

Therewerenouserswhowereservinglessthan1month.Sentencelengthbreakdownis

showninfigure1below.

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Figure1:Sentencelengthofusers

31.6%identifiedthemselvesasbeinglocatedonvulnerableprisonerwings.However,itwas

notedthatsomeprisonersinsexoffenderonlyprisonsnotedthemselvesasmainwing

prisoners.DuetothenatureoftheseprisonsandsexoffendersbeingregardedbyHM

PrisonandProbationServiceasvulnerable,thesewererecodedasvulnerableprisonersand

thenumberofvulnerableprisonerswithinthesampleincreasedto43%.Thisdemonstrates

thatPrisonVoicemailisbeingusedbybothmainlocationprisonersandvulnerable

prisoners.TherewerenorespondentsinthesamplelocatedwithinCareandSeparation

Units(CSU)whichmaysuggestthatprisonerslocatedinCSUsarenotutilisingPrison

VoicemailalthoughitisunclearthatthoseinCSUsareawareof,orhaveaccessto,the

service.

Participantswerelocatedin56differentprisonsspreadgeographicallyacrosstheprison

estateandacrossall4prisonsecuritycategories(CategoryA-D).25.4%ofthesamplehad

movedprisonsincecommencingtheuseofPrisonVoicemail.Patternsofuse

Intotal,81%ofrespondentswerenotlocatedinaprisoninthesametownasthe

family/friendtheycommunicatedwithresided.MostprisonersfoundoutaboutPrison

Voicemailfromaposter(45.7%),followedbybeingtoldbyafamilymember(28.4%)while

othersincludedbeingtoldbysomeoneelse’sfamily,findingoutthroughtheirPeer

Supporterrole,nationalprisonradio,oracombinationofways(seefigure2).

12

Figure2:HowprisonersfoundoutaboutPrisonVoicemail.

ThemeannumberoftimesprisonersusedPrisonVoicemaileachweekwas6.68witha

rangefrom1-50times.

Thelargestgroup,usedPrisonVoicemailwiththeirpartnerorspouse(48.9%)followedby

otherfamilymembers(40.0%).Therelationshipbetweenprisonersandwhotheyused

PrisonVoicemailtocommunicatewithisdepictedinfigure3below.

Figure3:WhodoyouusePrisonVoicemailwith?

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Evaluation

Overalltherewasahighpercentageofpositiveresponsestoeachevaluationstatements

whereapositiveresponsewastoslightlyorstronglyagreewiththestatement(seeTable1).

PositiveresponsesindicatefavourableviewstousingPrisonVoicemailwiththeexceptionof

statement3whichisreversedandwhereslightorstrongdisagreementisthepositive

response.Ahighermeanscore(fromarangeofscores0-3)alsoindicatesafavourable

responseexceptforstatement3wherealowermeanscoreismorefavourable.

Table1:PrisonerEvaluation

Statement N Stronglydisagree

%

Slightlydisagree

%

Slightlyagree

%

Stronglydisagree

%

%Positiveresponse

Meanscore(StandardDeviation)

1.PrisonVoicemailiseasyformetouse 78 0.0 1.3 10.3 88.5 98.8 2.87(0.373)

2.PrisonVoicemailiseasyformyfamily/friendstouse

78 0.0 1.3 7.7 91.0 98.7 2.90(0.345)

3.IhavehaddifficultiesusingPrisonVoicemail

71 54.9 4.2 31.0 9.9 59.1 0.96(1.127)

4.PrisonVoicemailishelpfultome 78 0.0 0.0 12.8 87.2 100 2.87(0.336)

5.PrisonVoicemailishelpfultomyfamily/friends

78 1.3 1.3 9.0 88.5 97.5 2.85(0.486)

6.PrisonVoicemailishelpfultomysolicitor 11 27.3 9.1 18.2 45.5 63.7 2.85(0.486)

7.Voicemailsmakemefeelbetter 72 1.4 2.88 22.2 73.6 95.8 2.68(0.601)

8.Voicemailsmakemyfamily/friendsfeelbetter

75 1.3 4.0 13.3 81.3 94.6 2.75(0.595)

9.Voicemailsmakemebehavebetterinprison

48 25.0 12.5 27.1 35.4 62.5 1.73(1.198)

10.Voicemailshelpmefindoutwhatishappeningwithmyfamily/friendsandhowtheyare

77 2.6 0.0 16.9 80.5 97.4 2.75(0.588)

11.Voicemailshelpmyfamily/friendsfindoutwhatishappeningwithmeandhowIam

77 3.9 1.3 16.9 77.9 94.8 2.69(0.693)

12.Voicemailshelpmegetpracticalissuessortedfaster

71 1.4 8.5 23.9 66.3 90.1 2.55(0.713)

13.Voicemailshelpmyfamily/friendsgetpracticalissuessortedfaster

73 1.4 8.2 24.7 65.8 90.5 2.55(0.708)

14.Voicemailsaremakingmytimeinprisoneasier

71 4.2 4.2 28.2 63.4 91.6 2.51(0.772)

15.Voicemailsaremakingiteasierformyfamily/friendswhileIaminprison

74 4.1 4.1 21.6 70.3 91.9 2.58(0.759)

16.Voicemailsallowmetohavebettercontactwithmyfamily/friends

76 1.3 3.9 18.4 76.3 94.7 2.70(0.611)

17.Ithinkmyrelationshipswithmyfamily/friendsarebetterbecauseofPrisonVoicemail

72 5.6 11.1 38.9 44.4 83.3 2.22(0.859)

18.UsingPrisonVoicemailislikelytohelpstopmere-offendinginthefuture

47 38.3 6.4 25.5 29.8 55.3 1.47(1.283)

14

Tosummarise,prisonersgaveoverwhelminglypositiveresponsestotheuseofPrison

Voicemail.MostprisonersfeltthatPrisonVoicemailwaseasytouse,despitesome

familiarisationdifficulties,forbothparties,andreportedthattheyfeltPrisonVoicemail:

- Washelpful

- Madeprisonlifeeasier

- Madethemfeelbetter

- Helpedthemfindoutwhatwashappeningwitheachother

- Allowedthemtomaintainbetterfamilycontact

- Helpedthemgetpracticalissuessortedfaster

Importantly,almosttwothirdsofrespondentsreportedthatitmadethembehavebetterin

prisonandoverhalfsaidtheyfeltitwaslikelytohelpstopthemreoffending.

2. Family/friendsurveys

ParticipantInformation

Theageprofileoffamily/friendrespondentslargelymatchedthatoftheprisoner

respondentswiththeaverageagebeing44.21yearsandarangefrom18-75years.6

participantsidentifiedthatEnglishwasnottheirfirstlanguage(7.8%)and64particpants

(83.1%)reportedthatitwasthefirsttimeincustodyforthepersontheycommunicated

withinprison.Amajorityoffamily/friendrespondentswereemployed(74.1%)onafull-

time(48.1%)orpart-time(26.0%)basis.Abreakdownoftheemploymentstatusisprovided

inFigure4.

Figure4:employmentstatusoffamily/friendsusingPrisonVoicemail

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Patternsofcontact

Asexpected,family/friendrespondentsreportedthat84.4%ofthemdidnotresideinthe

samecityastheprisonwheretheirfriend/familymemberwaslocated.Theaverage

distancefromtheprisonwas90.78milesalthoughthisvariedwidelywitharangefrom5-

500miles.Approximately10%saidtherehadbeenadecreaseinthenumberofvisitssince

theyhadstartedusingPrisonVoicemailwhile7.8%saidtheyhadincreased.

AllrespondentsreportedthattheyusedothermethodsinadditiontoPrisonVoicemailto

keepincontactincluding;visiting(81.8%),letters(84.4%),phonecalls(87%)ande-mail

(61%).ThemeannumberoftimesperweekthatPrisonVoicemailwasusedwas6.14witha

rangefrom0-28.Most(97.4%)reportedthattheirfriend/familymemberusedthereply

functiontorespondtotheirvoicemails.

MostfamilyrespondentsfoundoutaboutPrisonVoicemailfromaposter(48.1%)followed

bythepersontheycommunicatedwithinprisontellingthem(42.9%).Onlyasmallnumber

weretoldbystaff(1.3%).Thisisshowninfigure5below:

Figure5:WaysthatfamilyandfriendsfoundoutaboutPrisonVoicemail

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Table2belowreportsthepercentageofpositiveresponsestoeachevaluationstatement

whereapositiveresponseisaslightlyorstronglyagree.Nisthenumberofpeoplewho

answeredthatstatement.PositiveresponsesindicatefavourableviewstoPrisonVoicemail

(i.e.slightly/stronglyagree,withtheexceptionofstatement3wherestatements

slightly/stronglydisagreeisindicativeofapositiveresponse).Ahighermeanscore(froma

rangeofscores0-3)alsoindicatesafavourableresponseexceptforstatement3wherea

lowermeanscoreismorefavourable.

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Table2:Familyevaluation

Statement N Stronglydisagree

%

Slightlydisagree

%

Slightlyagree

%

Stronglyagree

%

%positiveresponse

Mean(standarddeviation)

1.PrisonVoicemailiseasyformetouse

75 2.7 0.0 2.7 94.7 97.4 2.89(0.509)

2.PrisonVoicemailiseasyformyfamilymember/friendtouse

75 2.7 0.0 8.0 89.3 97.3 2.85(0.546)

3.IhavehaddifficultiesusingPrisonVoicemail

65 70.8 6.2 12.3 10.8 77.0 0.63(1.069)

4.PrisonVoicemailishelpfultome 75 4.0 0.0 9.3 86.7 96.0 2.79(0.643)

5.PrisonVoicemailishelpfultomyfamilymember/friend

75

2.7 0.0 10.7 86.7 97.4 2.81(0.562)

6.LeavingVoicemailsmakesmefeelbetter

75 1.3 1.3 10.7 86.7 97.4 2.83(0.503)

7.Voicemailsmakemyfamilymember/friendfeelbetter

75 1.3 1.3 12.0 85.3 97.3 2.81(0.512)

8.Voicemailshelpmefindoutwhatishappeningwithmyfamilymember/friend

75 2.7 2.7 17.3 77.3 94.6 2.69(0.657)

9.Voicemailshelpmyfamilymember/friendfindoutwhatishappeningwithmeandhowourfamilyis

75 2.7 1.3 9.3 86.7 96.0 2.80(0.593)

10.Voicemailshelpmegetpracticalissuessortedfaster

72 1.4 2.8 18.1 77.8 95.9 2.72(0.587)

11.Voicemailshelpmyfamilymember/friendgetpracticalissuessortedfaster

72 1.4 4.2 19.4 75.0 94.4 2.68(0.624)

12.Voicemailsaremakingthetimemyfamilymember/friendspendsinprisoneasierforthem

74 1.4 0.0 16.2 82.4 98.6 2.80(0.496)

13.Voicemailsaremakingiteasierformewhilemyfamilymember/friendisinprison.

74 1.4 1.4 13.5 83.8 97.3 2.80(0.523)

14.Voicemailsallowmetohavebettercontactwithmyfamilymember/friend

74 2.7 1.4 10.8 85.1 95.9 2.78(0.702)

15.Ithinkmyrelationshipwithmyfamilymember/friendinprisonisbetterbecauseofPrisonVoicemail

74 2.7 4.1 25.7 67.6 93.3 2.58(.702)

16.PrisonVoicemailisgoodvalueformoney

76 2.6 6.6 14..5 76.3 90.8 2.64(0.725)

18

Insummary,similartotheprisonersurveys,theresponsesoffamilyandfriendstousing

PrisonVoicemailwasoverwhelminglypositive.Theygenerallyfounditeasytouse,

indicatedrelativelyfewdifficultiesandreportedthattheythoughtitwasgoodvaluefor

money.

FamilyandfriendsreportedthatforbothpartiestheyfeltthatPrisonVoicemail:

- Washelpful

- Madeprisoneasier

- Madethemfeelbetter

- Helpedthemfindoutwhatwashappeningwitheachother

- Allowedthemtohavebettercontact

- Helpedthemgetpracticalissuessortedfaster

3. Qualitativedata

Ofthe18interviews,16participantswerefemaleand2weremale.Thefemaleparticipants

wereusingPrisonVoicemailtocommunicatewiththeircurrentpartner/spouse(8),with

theirex-partner/spouse(1),theirsons(5),theirfriend(1)andtheirbrother(1).The2male

participantswereusingPrisonVoicemailtocommunicatewiththeirsonandwife.The

interviewtranscriptswerecombinedwiththequalitativeinformationfromboththe

prisonerandfamily/friendssurveystoidentifythemes.Fivekeythemeswereidentified:

1)healthandwellbeing,2)relationshipsandsocialtiestothecommunity,3)accessibility,

4)improvementsand5)cost.Throughoutthesethemestherewasa‘goldenthread’of

feelingsofpositivityandgratitude,andthesensethattheuseofPrisonVoicemailassists

thoseinprisonandthefamilyandfriendsleftoutside.

Attheendofthissection,personalstoriesgainedfromtheinterviewsareincluded.Names

havebeenchangedandanypersonaldetailsremovedtoprotecttheidentifyofparticipants.

19

Healthandwellbeing

TherewasaclearsensethatPrisonVoicemailwasusedtoimprovehealthandwellbeing

withinprisonersandtheirfamilies;

“Ithelpsmegetthingsoffmychest...thepersonthat’shavingproblemsi.e.myself,it

makesyoufeelrelaxedbecauseyouknowthey’regonnalistentothemessage.

“IfI’mfeelinglikecrapandjustwantahug.Allthemessagesaresavedonmyphoneso

whenI’mfeelinglikecrapandwanttohearhimtalk,Icanjustgothroughmymessagesand

playtheoneIwant.”(Interview17).

PrisonVoicemailseemedtohelprelievesomeofthepainsandchallengesof

imprisonmentonfamiliesandprisoners;

“Ithelpedloads,thefacthewasbrutallytakenawayfromus,wenevereverbeenseparated

beforethethreeofussoitwasashock,itprovideuswithemotionalsupporttoknowwe

canleavehimmessagesatanytime...ithelpedustremendously,itwaslikealittlestraw

wecouldgrab”.(Interview2).

“It’sdefinitelyhelpedtakesomeofthestressoutofthesituation.”(Interview3).

“Somedayshe’sfeltdownintheresobutinprisonhecan’tshowemotionsohe’lllistento

voicemailandhesaysthatlisteningtomeatthetime,hesaysitputsasmileonhisfaceand

liftshisspirits.”(Interview5)

“WhenI’mfeelingabitdown,IdogetupsetcozIcan’ttalktohimbutthenwhenI’veleft

himamessage,Ifeelabitclosertohim.”(Interview8)

“Ijustthinkitmadelifeeasierforthelikesofmeandmykids,aloteasier.We’renot

waitingaboutforaphonecall,itstonneseasierwayofcommunicating.Wealluseit,the

childrentoo.”(Interview10).

“IfImissacall,it’supsettingbecauseyoucan’tgetbacktothemsoit’sidealbecauseit’son

amessagethen.”(Interview11).

20

“Theconversationshelped.IfeltlikesometimesIwasdoingitmoreforme.”(Interview15).

“Mysonsdueoutbuthe’sdone16months.Iwanttosaythankyouverymuch,they’ve

madelifealotmorebearableforusinaverydifficultsituation.”(Interview16).

‘Sincewefoundoutabouttheservice,wehaveuseditconstantly.Ithasbeenabsolutely

brilliantformyselfandwifetokeepincontacteverydaybetweenourmainphonecallsand

visits.Thankyou,ithasmademysentencealoteasiertodealwith’.(Prisonersurvey).

‘Helpedusalotduringtheworsetimeinbothourlives.’(Familysurvey).

PrisonVoicemailhelpsprisonerstobelessworriedabouttheirfamiliesandviceversa;

“IliveonmyownandIhavealotofhospitalappointmentssoit’sgoodifheknows...he

canpickupamessagetolethimknowwhereIam...itgiveshimpeaceofmind,that’sa

definite...it’sawayofsafeguardingourselves.”(Interview3).

“ItgiveshimreassurancetoknowthatI’malright.HegetstohearwhatI’vebeenupto...

itjustkeepshimuptodateonhowI’mdoingduringtheweek.Helikesit.”(Interview8).

“It’sgoodtoknowhe’sOKeveryday.Hehasn’tbeenwell.Hecanleavemeamessage

sayingthere’sbeenanincidentintheprison,I’llbelockeddownandsoyoudon’tworry

thenwhenyoudon’thearfromhim.”(Interview14).

“ItsparticularlyusefulifI’mgonnabeoutbecauseifhecan’tgetholdofmethenhepanics.

IleaveamessageandheknowsI’mfine,I’mjustnotathome...He’snotgoingtopanicifhe

can’tgetthroughtome.”(Interview17).

‘Itgivespeaceofmindforbothparties’.(Prisonersurvey).

‘IcanletmyfamilyknowI’mOKandgivethemaroughtimeofwhenIcanringthemback

andchattothem’.(Prisonersurvey).

21

Andprovidesasenseofnormalitythroughachallengingsituation.Ithastakenawaysome

uncertaintyandgivenbacksomecontrol;

“ItslovelybecauseitsortoffeelslikenormalityandIhaven’thadthatbefore.”(Interview

3).

“Peopledon’trealiseyou’rejustrelyingonthemtocallandifyoudon’tgetthatcall,your

mindgoesallovertheplace...sobyleavingamessageitfeelssortoflikenormallifeina

surrealsituation.”(Interview3).

“Itkeepsmeinsortofyouknow,controlofleavinghimmessagesbecauseI’vegotbadOCD

andwhenI’mhavingabadday,IcanjustringupandsayI’mmissinghimandeverythingis

reallygood.I’mgladIsetitup.”(Interview8).

Forsome,itbecameawayofhelpingtomanagetheirmentalhealth.Thiswasevidentin

prisonersandfamilies;

“It’sreallyuseful,especiallywhenmyanxietyiskickingoffbecauseIcanringupandsaymy

anxietyiskickingoffandthenwhenhegetsithe’llringme,heringsmeuptocalmmedown

soitsreallyusefulforwhenI’mhavingabadday.”(Interview8).

“Ithinkitreallydoeshelphimbecauseheisaself-harmingpersonandifheleavesmea

messagehecanexpresshimselfabitmoretome.”(Interview13).

PrisonVoicemailalsoincreasesfeelingsofpositivity;

“IfeelhappyandIsupposeit’sexcitingbecauseyoudon’tknowwhat’sgonnabeonit.”

(Interview10).

“IfeelveryhappyandexcitedbecauseI’mmanagingtoleavehimamessageandIhaven’t

gottowait.”(Interview13).

‘Thevoicemailsystemintroducesalittlenoveltyandexcitementintoourdayasitmeans

bothpartiescanreceivethesurpriseofsomeonereachingouttothem.’(Prisonersurvey).

22

ResolvingPracticalities

TherewereseveralclearexamplesofPrisonVoicemailassistingprisonersandtheir

familiestoresolvepracticalissuesandtogatherinformation.Oftenthesewererelatedto

solicitorsorprobation;

“Heleavesmeavoicemailifheneedsmetodoanything,especiallyashiscasehasn’t

finishedyet,soheneedsmessagespassedontohissolicitor.”(Interview6).

“Hegavemepermissiontotalktohisprobationofficer...soIwasabletoputaheartto

savethatmessageandthenprobationcouldlistentothemessagetosayI’vegot

permission.Isaidhowcanwedothisquicklycozaletterisgonnatakeafewdays.Iwas

abletoscrollthroughandfindtheheartcosI’dmarkeditandshewasabletolistentoit

thereandthen.”(Interview7).

“IfIneedtolethimhavesomesortofinformation...tolethimknowthathe’sgettinga

professionalvisitsoIcanlethimknowwhenit’shappeningotherwisehewouldn’tknow

untilthedayandsohecouldn’tpreparesoIcouldsaysoandso’scomingonthisdayor

you’llbegettingthismailsoheknewwhentoexpectit.Wehadsomelegaldocumentation

thatwastimesensitivesoIemailedhimwhenIposteditandwhatI’dwrittenonthe

envelope.”(Interview9).

“HecanleavemeimportantmessagesandIcandothingsforhim,Icanhelphimmorethan

anythingtogetthingssortedlikesolicitorsandthings...ifhehasn’tgotanymoneyor

anything.”(Interview13).

“Moreoftenthannot,he’dleavearequest,forexampletosendcashorconfirmavisitor

looksomethingupontheinternet”.(Interview15).

Relationshipsandsocialtiestothecommunity

ItwasclearthatPrisonVoicemailincreasescontactandtieswithpeopleinprisonand

theirfamilies,particularlygivenchallengessuchasfamiliesbeingatworkduringtheday,

oftenwhenprisonershadthebestchanceofbeingabletouseaphone;

23

“It’sagoodwaytocommunicatewhenthey’renotabletoringyou,you’renotableto

answerthecallifyou’reatworkorwhatever,it’smucheasiertoleaveyouavoicemailand

youreplyaswellandyou’restillkindofspeakingtothem...Whenwefirstwentonto

PrisonVoicemail,heloveditandIthinkhestilldoesbecauseit’sstillcommunicationwith

me...ifhewasnotabletoringmeforwhateverreason,he’dquicklyruntothephoneand

leavevoicemailjustsohecanhearmyvoice.(Interview1).

“I’matthemercyofwhenhecangettothetelephonebeforewestartedusingandifIwas

goingtohospitalandiftherewasotherimportantinformationIneededtogettohim,Ijust

couldn’tdothatbefore...it’sanotherwayofkeepingoncontactwithhimandlettinghim

knowwhat’sgoingonbecausewe’reawayfromeachother.”(Interview3).

“HeonlygetsbetweenhalfpastsixbythetimeIgethomeandseveno’clocktophonemeif

hecangetchancetogetonaphonebutthenhe’sgotalldaytolistentohismessages.If

there’sanythingimportantIneedtotellhim...Icanleavemessagesonvoicemailandhe

canpickthemupsoit’sreallygood.”(Interview5).

“IfIforgottosayanythingwhenI’vegoneuptovisithim,it’sjustreallyuseful,Icanleave

himthemessageandlethimknowwhatIwasmeanttosay.WhenIgoforthenextvisit,it

mightbeamonthortwobeforeIgoupagainsoit’sreallyuseful.”(Interview8).

“It’sanaddedwaytokeepintouch.MorethananythingweusePrisonVoicemail2-3

times/day.”(Interview9).

“HecanleaveamessagewhileI’matwork,justasweetlittlemessage.Sometimesmy

hoursarejustaslongashe’soutandwecan’talwayscatcheachother.”(Interview14).

‘Anyimprovedcontactwithfamilyandfriendsisawonderfulbonustostrengthenfamily

ties.’(Prisonersurvey)

24

‘Ahelpfulandmeaningfulwaytoenableuserstostayincontactanddevelopbondswith

thosetheycareabout.’(Prisonersurvey).

PrisonVoicemailhelpedmaintainfeelingsofconnectionbetweenpeopleinprisonand

familiesintheoutsideworld;

“Itwasbringinghimintothereality,theoutsideworld...keepingusveryconnectedwith

him...andIneededthatandthat’swhatPrisonVoicemailofferedme(Interview2).

“Justkeepingincontactwithhim,makingsureheknowshe’slovedandmissed...ifhe

can’tphonemeatleastIcantellhimeverydaythatIlovehim...it’slikeyoucansitand

haveaconversation...helistenstoitandIknowyou’retalkingtoamachinebutitfeels

likeyou’retalkingtothatperson...itdoesmakeyoufeelhappy.Eventhoughthey’rein

prisontheystillneedtoknowthatthey’relovedandwanted.”(Interview5).

“Allofususeit,I’vegotit,mysister,allofourfriendshavegotit.He’sdoingquitealong

sentencesoit’squitedifficulttostayintouchwitheveryonebutit’snice,hecanleave

everyonevoicemailsandtheycanleavehimvoicemailsandheknowswhateveryone’s

doing”.(Interview6).

“HegetstoknowstuffthatI’veforgottentomentionhe’sinvolvedineverydayissuesyou

knowlikefinances,ourfamily,mywork...itkeepshiminthepictureaswell,especially

littlethingsthatyoudon’trealiselikethenew£5notesthatcameout...it’sjustthelittle

thingstokeephiminvolvedineverydaythings.”(Interview7)

“Weuseitforsocialissues,wetalkpoliticsalot,sportsbutweobviouslytalkaboutthelegal

sideandwhat’sgoingonintheprison,whathe’sdoing,isthegymopentoday,iseducation

opentoday,alsolettinghimknowwhatwe’redoing.”(Interview12).

“IfeltlikeIwantedtosaystuffevenifitwasjustmundane,ifsomethingcameintomyhead

andIwantedtoshareit...Ihopedthatevenifitwasmundane,thathewouldstillfeel

connectedtothefamily...AsaMum,Iwantedtokeepthatemotionalconnection.Itold

himonmostoccasionsthatIlovedhimandthatI’dstillbethereforhim.

25

Morespecifically,ithasdemonstratedtheabilitytosupporttheinvolvementinfamily

rituals;

“Ihavetheappandonaweekendwewouldhavemovienight.Herdadwouldhaverum

andcoke,shewouldhavecokeandiceandI’dhaveaglassofwineandwe’ddocheers

downthephonesohewasstillpartofit.Hefeltpartofwhatwasourritualasafamily.”

(Interview9).

PrisonVoicemailwasusedtosharefamilyeventsandgoodnews;

“Importanteventsinourfamily,whenwehadacertaincelebrationinourfamily,Iwould

say‘happybirthday’or‘happyanniversary’(Interview2).

“Specialmessageslikebirthday,anniversary,youcansavethemandjustlistentothem

wheneveryoulike,youcangorightback.”(Interview7).

Togivehimthegoodnewsourfriendfoundoutshewasexpecting,Icouldlethimknow

sooner.”(Interview9).

PrisonVoicemailwasparticularlyimportantwhenchildrenwerepresentinthefamily

unit.Itwasusedtosharepositiveupdatesbybothparentsandchildren;

“Wehavealittlechildsothefactwecouldleavethesemessageswhenwefeltlikewhen

somethingsignificanthappened,forexample,shepassedaballetexam,ithelpedloads...

everylittlechangeinourlives.Iknowhewantstoknowthelittleonehasbeenchosenfor

VIPoftheweek,ourwholeworldrevolvesaroundher...shehadSATexams,shestarted

school,itwasimportant.”(Interview2).

“Ithinkhelikeslisteningtovoicemailsfromthekids,sothey’rehisnieces.Heenjoysthat

becauseifhecallstheydon’treallytalkopenlyonthephonebutonvoicemailtheyleave

himloadsofsillymessageslikewhatthey’vebeenuptoatschool,whatthey’vewatchedfor

dinner,sillythingsbutitmakeshimfeellikehe’swatchingthemgrow”.(Interview6).

26

“Ourlittleone,shegotamentionintheschoolassemblybecauseshegotameritor

somethinglikethat.Icouldlethimknowwhatshe’ddoneandwhatawardshe’dgotso

whenwephoneuponanevening,hecanspeaktoherstraightaway...hewouldsaythis

littleblackbirdtoldmethatyouhadareallygooddayatschooltoday.”

“Mykidsmorethanmeuseittotalkandlethimknowwhatthey’reupto.”(Interview10).

“Ourdaughterisquiteyoungsosheislearningsomethingneweveryweeksoit’snicetobe

abletotellhimshe’sjuststoodupforthefirsttimeortakenherfirststeps.”(Interview17).

‘Justliketosaythankyou,mywifereallyenjoystheserviceandsheoftencapturesmy

youngest(5-montholdgirl)firstwordswhichissimplyamazing’.(Prisonersurvey).

Itcouldalsobeusedtoinvolvethepersoninprisoninparenting;

“Mydaughter,she’snotlongturned9.Ifshe’shavingoneofthosedayswhereshe’sbeen

naughtyandsortofkickingoff,I’llsay,‘rightI’mringingyourDad’.ObviouslyI’mnottalking

tohimbuthecanstillhearthegistoftheconversationthatwe’rehavingandhestillfeels

partofthefamilyandthathe’sstillverymuchimportantwhenitcomestodisciplineand

groundrules...keepshimpartofthefamilycircle.”(Interview9).

Onefamilyalsodemonstratedusingittoshowtotheirsonthatlifeisbetteroutsideof

prisonbywayofencouraginghimtostayoutoftrouble;

“Wewantedtoshowbycommunicationsthatlifeisstillgoingonoutside...tryingtoshow

himthatoutsideisgoodanditsworthnotgettingintotroublefor.Intheworldoutsidewe

arestillcrackingonwithlife,therearesomehighlightsandthesearethebitsyoucouldbe

enjoyingwhenyoucomeout.”(Interview15).

Accessibility

Thefactthatmessagescouldbeleftatanytime,seemedparticularlyvaluedby

participants;

27

“Wecansharetheinformationattheverymomentithappensratherthanwaitingforhim

tocall.Weuseiteveryday.I’mluckyenoughtohaveahusbandwhotellsmeeveryday

‘you’rebeautiful’andIcouldsaythatbacktohimwheneverIfelt.Myheartisburstingand

he’sawayfromme...andIcanjustpickupthephoneandtellhim,nowaitingforhiscall”.

(Interview2).

“SometimesI’vehadbadnewsandI’vefeltreallydownandjustactuallyleavingamessage

attwoo’clockinthemorning.”(Interview5).

“It’sreallyhandytobeabletoleavemessagesatanytimeofthedayforhimtobeableto

pickup...it’sverygoodifyouthinkofsomethingatsixo’clockatlockuptime,youcan

leaveamessageandthenhe’lllistentoitinthemorning.”(Interview7).

“IthinkI’veuseditprettylateintheevening,10or11o’clock,alltimesofdayreally...it

helpshimalotbecausealthoughhe’snotspeakingdirectlytous,hecancommunicatemore

orlessanytime.Ifwehavequeryorhehasone,itsquick,wecanrespondquickly.”

(Interview12).

Familiesalsovaluedbeingabletoreplaytheirmessagesatanytime;

“Withtheapp,youcanlistentothemasmanytimesasyoulikesoifyou’remissingthem

youcanheartheirvoice.”(Interview1).

“IcansavethemsoifIdon’thearanythingfromhimIcanhearhisvoice,Ijustlistentohis

messagesoveragain.”(Interview5).

Thisalsotiedintohealthandwellbeing;

“IfI’monadownerorwhatever,I’lljustlistentothembutyoucanselectfavouritesnow.”

(Interview1).

28

PrisonVoicemailcanbeusedanywhereandtheactualpracticaluseisdiscrete;

“It’stakenalotofstressoffme...IfeelmoreateaseknowingIcanleaveamessageand

nothavetoworryifI’moutincompanyandtheydon’tknowmysituation,ithelpswiththat

becauseit’squitediscrete...Ican’talwaysanswermyphone”.(Interview3).

“IcanleavehimavoicemailevenifI’matworkandhecanleavemeoneback,itmakesit

quiteprivateandconfidential.”(Interview6).

“IfI’mawayfortheweekend,wecanstillkindofcommunicateusingvoicemail.”(Interview

17).

Morespecifically,thefactthatPrisonVoicemailcouldbeusedabroadwasalsoincredibly

valuabletofamilies;

“Icouldn’tgoonholiday,nowforthefirsttimein6years,I’vedecidedtogoawaybecauseI

knowthatIcanusetheservicetolethimknowthatI’vearrivedsafelyandhewon’tworry

thenbecausebeforeIcouldn’tbeabletolethimknow.I’llstillbeworriedaboutgoingbut

ittakessomeofthepressureoffknowingthatIcanleavehimamessageandhecanpickit

upatanytimetosayI’vegotthereevenifitslate.”(Interview3).

“It’sgoodforwhenI’monholidaybecauseIcanleavehimavoicemail.However,whenI

travelledtoAsiaitdidn’tworkbutintheMiddleEastitdid.

“It’snice,whenI’vebeenonholidaystillbeingabletouseit.Itcostsalotofmoneytoring

amobilefromprisonbutwecanusethatanddomessagesbackandforward.”(Interview

16).

PeoplegenerallyfoundPrisonVoicemailfinetosetupalthoughtheysometimesfelta

littleunsureinitially;

“Iwasn’tquitesurehowdoesitworkbutIfoundalltheinformationthereandthemoreyou

useit,themoreconfidentyoubecome.”(Interview2).

29

“Ididn’tknowwhetheritwouldbeagoodthingorabadthingtobehonestandIthought

how’sthisgonnawork.Ididn’tknowhowitwouldwork,Ididn’tknowifitwasjustus

leavingthemamessageofiftheyhadcertaintimelimits...soIjustthoughtohI’lljustgive

itago.”(Interview5).

“Iwasabitdubiousespeciallyaftersettingupadirectdebit...butthecustomersupport

hasbeenveryhelpful.”(Interview7).

“Iwasn’t100%sureonitbutnowI’vegotitupandrunning,it’sreallyreallyuseful.”

(Interview8).

“Iwasunsureofhowitwouldwork,abitdubious,butonceyougettoknowhowitworks,it

completelychangedmyopinion,itwasdeadstraightforward.”(Interview10).

“Thefirsttimeyouuseit,youdialintothenumberandthenthephonestopsandthenyou

getanoiseandthinkwhat’shappening,thenIsortoflookedatthephoneandthenitrang

sonowIunderstoodhowthesystemworks...Itwouldbeusefultobetoldjusthowthe

systemworkswhenyoudialinbutit’sveryeasy.”(Interview12).

Cost

Thereappearedtobeadichotomybetweenwhatfamiliesthoughtofthecostandwhat

prisonersthought.Familiesgenerallyseemedtothinkthecostwasgoodvalueformoney;

“It’snotexpensive,Ithinkitsaffordable.“(Interview2).

“Ithinkit’sworththemoney.”(Interview3).

“It’safaircost...it’sdecent,Idon’tthinkitsoverpricedatall.Ifpeoplewanttokeepin

contactthey’llpayit.Theamountthattheychargeit’snotthatmuchtobehonesttostay

oncontactwithyourlovedone,wellIdon’tthinkitisbecausethey’renothereyou’renot

spendingmoneygoingoutforamealordrinkorwhateversoitspenniesreally.”(Interview

5).

30

“Ifinditquiteeconomical.Ipay£5amonth...Iusuallyphone3-4timesadayandthat

lastsfinewithme.”(Interview7).

“It’sabargaincomparedtomynormaltelephonebill.Althoughdon’tputthepriceup!”

(Interview12).

“Ithinkthatthepeoplewhodesignedtheservicedeservetoberewardedandifthat’show

theymaketheirmoneythenfairenough.”(Interview15).

“Youwanttopayaslittleaspossible,himbeingthemainincomeearnernotbeingaroundis

abitofatightthingbutitsaffordable.”(Interview16).

Althoughfamilieshadnoticedthatiftheytoppedup,theminutesdidn’tcarryoverand

theyfeltthatoneimprovementwouldbethattheyshould;

“Ifyou’vegot22minutesleft,thenyoupayagain,them22minutesaren’tcarriedover...

letthemcarryoversoyou’renotlosingthem.”(Interview7).

Also,iftheydidnothangupfastenoughafterlisteningtoamessage,itwouldrecorda

messagethattheprisonerthenhadtousecredittolistento;

“SometimesIhaven’thungupfastenoughandittakessomecredit.Hegoesanditsaysits

gotonemessageandthenitbeepsandthenthere’snomessage.He’swaitingtoseewhat

thatmessageisandyoudidn’tevenleaveitandyouhavetobeveryfast.He’llsay‘you’ve

costme10pandI’velistenedto3bleeps’...thereneedstobeadelay.”(Interview14).

However,amajorityofprisonersseemedtohaveadifferentviewregardingthecost,

statingthattheyshouldnotbechargedforitbecausetheirfamilieshadalreadypaidand

thatthereshouldbemultiuseroptions;

‘Makepickingupandleavingmessagesafreephonenumberformesocostismetbymy

familyandIcanringwithnocredit’.(Prisonersurvey).

31

‘Ifmygirlfriendpaysforit,thenwhydoesitcostme?’

‘Findawaysothatmultiplefamilymemberscanusetheservicewithoutonlyonebearing

thecost.’(Prisonersurvey).

Improvements

AmajorityofPrisonVoicemailUserswereveryhappywiththewayitworkedas

demonstratedinthediscussionbelow.Manyhadnoimprovementstomake;

“Formeitworkedlikeaclock.Iwashappywiththewayitworked”.(Interview2)

“Noimprovements,whatIuseitfor,I’mpleasedwith.”(Interview13).

‘Ireallydon’tthinkPrisonVoicemailneedsimprovement.(Familysurvey)

However,inadditiontotheissuesrelatingtocosthighlightedbyprisonersabove,some

furthersuggestionsweremade(pleaseseeAppendix1forresponsestothesesuggestions

fromthePrisonVoicemailteam):

Prisonerscommonlysaidtheywouldliketobeabletolistentomessagesagain.Families

candothisviatheappasdiscussedabovebutprisonerscurrentlycan’t;

“He’dliketolistentothemessagesagainandhecan’t.OneofthemessagesIleftbroughta

teartohiseyeitweresoniceandoncehe’dlistenedtoit,itwasgoneandit’dbeniceifon

oddtimethattherewereamessagetheywantedtosavesotheycouldlistentoitagain”

(Interview5).

‘Wouldbegoodifprisonershavemorecontrol/optionse.g.repeatmessageincase

numbersorvaluableinformationiscontainedinthemessagethatneedstobewritten

down.’(Prisonersurvey).

‘Itwouldbegoodifwecanchoosetodeleteorkeepamessage.’(Prisonersurvey).

32

‘Shouldhavetheoptiontopauseamessageandhangupthenstartagainifaskedtoputthe

phonedownbyprisonstaff’.(Prisonersurvey).

‘Havingthechoicetosaveanddeleteaselectfewwouldbenice.Ihearmydaughtertrying

totalkanditmakesmehappybutthenit’sgone.Wecouldgetonethatifwewasableto

save,wecouldlistentoeverydayforabitofaboost,somethingtomakeusfeelbetter’.

(Prisonersurvey).

‘Ifinterruptedwhilelisteningtovoicemailandhavetohanguphalfwaythrough,the

messageislost.Isitpossibletoretainthemessageforfuturelistening?’(Prisonersurvey).

Therewasalsothesuggestionthatitmightbeusefulforfamiliestodeletetheirown

messages;

“SometimesIwishIcoulddeletemymessagesbecausewhatitissometimesImayleave

himamessagethinkinghe’sgonnagoonvoicemailandthenhedoesn’tlistentothemand

thenwehaveaconversationonmymobile.”(Interview14).

Similarly,prisonerssuggestedbeingabletoedittheirmessages;

‘sometimesit’dbenicetolistenbackandchangeyourmessageifyou’renothappywith

howitsounds’.(Prisonersurvey).

Familiesandprisonersrequestedtimestampsonthemessages;

“Lasttimemeandmypartnerspoke,therewasn’tatimestampsoI’dsayI’mgoingout,I’ll

beaboutanhourandhedoesn’tknowifitsrelevantornot.”(Interview17).

‘Thevoicemailshouldtellyouthetimeitwassent,withadate’(Prisonersurvey).

‘Sometimesafterafewdaysorweekofnotusing,I’llhave5-6voicemailsbutIdon’tknow

thedatetheywere.Knowingthedatecouldhelptounderstandthembetter’.(Prisoner

survey).

33

Therewasalsothesuggestionfromfamiliesandprisonersofhavingtheoptiontoleave

longermessages;

“Thethree-minutelimitthingontheapp...itwouldbeniceifyoucouldhaveslightly

longer.Fiveminutesisagoodtime,enoughtosayeverythingIneedtoandnotgonnago

overhistime.”(Interview17).

‘Maybeconsiderextendingthetimelimitgiventofamily/friendsleavingamessageto

maybefiveminutes.’(Prisonersurvey).

“Sometimesit’dbeniceifthetimewasabitlongerbecauseitseemslikealongtimebut

whenyou’retalkingthat’snotalwaysenough.”(Interview7).

Prisonersexpressedfrustrationatthe‘lineisbusy’messagewhichactuallymeantthey

hadnomessages;

‘Messagethelineisbusymightbebetterexpressedas‘youhavenonewmessages’’.

(Prisonersurvey).

‘Thelineisbusymessageisextremelyunhelpfulwhenitactuallymeansthemailboxis

empty.’(Prisonersurvey).

‘Ittellsmethelineisbusywhenit’snotbutbythetimeI’venoticed,it’staken20poffmy

PINcredit.ThisisnotgoodformewhenIdon’tknowwhat’sgoingoff.Thisneedstobe

addressedandputright’.(Prisonersurvey).

Averycommonthemewasthatprisonerswantedtobeabletoleavevoicemailswithout

theirfamilyhavinghadtoleaveonefirst;

‘Weshouldbeabletoringandleaveamessagebeforereceivingone.Wecanonlyrespond

tomessagesatthemoment.’(Prisonersurvey).

34

‘Whydoesithavetobeareply?Whycan’tweleavemessagestoourfamilyandthey

reply?’(Prisonersurvey).

Theyalsowantedtobeabletoreplytoindividualvoicemails,ratherthanlisteningtothem

allfirst;

‘Ishouldbeabletoreplytoeachmessageratherthanlistentoall’.(prisonersurvey).

Similarly,they’dliketobeabletosetitupthemselvesandbeabletoputmoneyonit

themselves;

‘coulditnotbesetupfromprisonthroughapps?’(PrisonerSurvey).

‘Letprisonersputmoneyonit’.(PrisonerSurvey).

Familiesandprisonersbothsuggestedthereneededtobemoreadvertising;

“NeedsmoreadvertisementbecauseI’vebeeninyouknowinthewaitingroomandthe

leafletsarenotthereanymore,there’snoleaflets...Ithinkwhereyoubookinthereshould

beaslot.Itsstuckonanoticeboardbutpeoplestandinfrontofit,Idon’tthinkitsina

prominentplace.Itneedtobeonthedesksopeoplecanseeit.”(Interview5).

“It’snotdisplayedinanyoftheprisonshe’sbeento.I’venotreallyseenit.He’sat[name

ofprison],I’veneverseenitthere.Whenhewasat[nameofprison],itwasatinyposter

behindthereception...someonehemadefriendswith,hiswifetoldusaboutit.”

(Interview6).

‘Advertiseitmore.Iwasn’tandneitherwasmypartnerawareoftheserviceuntilmy

partnercameacrossaposteronavisit.Itdoesn’tseemverywelladvertisedforprisoners.’

(Prisonersurvey).

‘It’sagreatservicebutalotofladsonthewingdon’tknowaboutit.Inprison,posterson

thewalldon’tlasttoolong...thepostershereareripped.’(Prisonersurvey).

35

Therewasalsothesuggestionthataleaflettotakeawaywouldbeuseful;

“theydohaveaposterup,saying‘don’tmissthedreadedmissedcall’orsomethinglikethat

...butiftherewasaproperleaflet,explaininghowitworks...informationthatpeoplecan

takeawayandsitandread.ThebitofinformationinthepackIgotwasthatyoucandothis

buttherewasn’tactuallyalotofinformationaboutit,alittleleafletexplaininghowitworks

andthepotentialbenefitswouldbemorebeneficial.”(Interview9).

However,itwasnotedthatatsomeprisonsstafftellpeopleabouttheservice;

“Prisonwheremysonisnow,theyhaveateamthatpromoteit.”(Interview15).

“Ididn’tknowaboutituntilIfoundoutfromPOPS”(Interview18).

Althoughtherewasanacknowledgementthismaybechallenging,asmallnumberof

familiesandprisonerssuggesteditwouldbegoodiftherewasawaytonotifyprisoners

whenavoicemailhadbeenleft,particularlywhenprisonershadmorethanoneactive

number;

“Theprisonersdon’tknowthey’vegotamessageuntiltheypickupthephone,whether

theycouldbealertedinsomewaythatthey’vegotamessage,maybeane-mailorslipof

paperjusttosaythereisamessageonthephoneifyouwanttocheckit.”(Interview15).

“He’sgottocheckthephonetoalerthimhe’sgotone.Maybetherecouldbeableeper

systemorsomething.Idon’tknowhoweasythatwouldbe.”(Interview16).

‘GivewarningofmessagesfrompeopleacrossallnumbersoIdon’thavetocheckall

numberseveryday.’(Prisonersurvey).

Familiesweregenerallypleasedwiththemobileappbutasmallnumbernoticedthatthe

appdidnotalwaysseemtosynchwiththephonelineandmessageswerenotalways

deleted;

36

“Thevoicemailappdoesn’tlinkwiththevoicemailtelephonenumbersoifyou’velistened

tothemontheapp,ImightringthenumberanditwilltellmethatI’vestillgotthemto

listentosoitmightnotsync.Sincetheappscomealongit’sbeenreallygood.It’salsogood

tohavethetelephonenumberbecauseifIdon’thaveWi-FithenIcanringbutthey’rejust

notlinkedatthemoment.”(Interview7).

“Ithinksometimesyouringandittellsyouthemessageandyou’vealreadydeletedit,it

doesn’talwaysdeleteitself.”(Interview14).

Oneparticipantdiscussedthepotentialforembarrassmentregardingthelackof

discretenessonherbankstatementsandonhermobilephoneandsuggestedthe

statementsandthemobilephoneappcouldbemademorediscrete;

“Onlythingthatisn’tdiscreteisthatitflagsuponmybankstatementssothatcouldbe

quiteembarrassing.Ineededtoshowmybankstatementsformymortgageandhadtosort

ofblankitout.I’vegottheappaswellandthat’squitegoodbutthatspellsitoutontheap

andI’mquiteaprivateperson...maybearedesignofthelogotojustsortofabbreviateit

ratherthanspellitout,it’sabitoffputting.SometimesI’vethoughtshouldIjustgetridof

theapp.

PrisonersandfamiliessaidtheywantedPrisonVoicemailineveryprison;

‘IthinkthatPrisonVoicemailshouldberolledoutineveryprison.Iamcurrentlyin[nameof

prison]andIcan’taccessitfromhere’.(Prisonersurvey).

‘WishallprisonscanhavePrisonVoicemail.’(Prisonersurvey).

Someoftheimprovementshavealreadybeenactedupon:

Forexample,prisonersbeingabletoleavemorethanonemessage;

“Ididsaybeforesothatprisonerscanleavemorethanonevoicemailatatime..butKieran

[PrisonVoicemail]didsomethingsothathecanleavemeasmanyvoicemailsashewants.”

(interview1).

37

Familiesreceivefeedbackwhenamessagehasbeenlistenedto;

“ItletsyouknowwhichIthinkisgreat.Youhavefeedbackwhenthatmessagehasbeen

listened...itclosesthecircle.”(Interview2).

Furthermore,atthetimeofwritingthisreport,PrisonVoicemailhadconsideredall

improvementssuggestedandarecontinuingtosuggestanumberofthemwherepossible.

FurtherdetailsareprovidedintheSuggestionsandImprovementstableinAppendix1.

GratitudeandCustomerService

Despitesomeisolateddifficultiesandseveralsuggestionsforimprovement,the

participantsvaluedthehighlevelofcustomerservicetheyreceivedfromthePrison

Voicemailteamandgenerallydidn’tseemtomindthatthingshadgonewrongbecause

theywerequicklyputrightagain;

“ThefoundersofPrisonVoicemailarereallyhelpfulaswell...theyarereallygoodandthey

dotryandhelpasmuchaspossible...it’sagoodservice,theygetbacktoyoustraight

away.”(Interview1).

“There’sbeenacoupleofglitchesbutI’vespokentothemdirectlyandthey’veputthe

issuesstraight.”(Interview3).

“ThepeoplewhodothevoicemailarereallyhelpfulwhenI’mstrugglingtodostuff,they

reallyhelpmethroughwhatIneedtodoandgetitallsorted.”(Interview8).

“Thehelpsidewhenthingshavegonewronghasbeenreallyreallygood.”(Interview9).

“EvenwhenIhadproblemsthecustomerservicewasabsolutelybrilliant...WhenI’vee-

mailedthemitsbeendealtwithstraightaway.”(Interview10).

38

“TheguyswhenIdidspeaktothem,theywereverynicetomesoIdidn’thaveany

complaints.”(Interview15)

‘Theteamatprisonvoicemailwilldoanythingforyou.Theygooutoftheirwaytomake

suretheserviceisrunningperfectlyforyouandtohelpinanywaytheycan.’(Family

survey).

Familiesandprisonersexpressedtheirgratitudethroughoutandwould(anddo)

recommendittoothers;

“I’msogratefulforit...I’mhappytorecommendittoanyfamiliesforfuturereference...I

appreciatethetremendousworkandIsaidifthere’sanythingIcandoIwoulddoitby

promotingortalkingtootherfamilies.Iwoulddefinitelyencouragethemtodoit,itshelped

ustremendously.Iwouldhighlyrecommendit,it’sausefultoolforbothparties,those

insideandoutside.“(Interview2).

“EverybodyItalktoI’mlike‘ohdoyouusePrisonVoicemail?’andthey’relike‘what’sthat?’

andI’mlikeohyouneedtouseit.I’lltellthemaboutitifthey’venotheardit.Itellthem

youcanleavemessagesandyoucanleavethemanytimeyouwant”.(Interview5).

‘Itshouldbeaccessedbyallprisonersandfamily’.(Prisonersurvey)

Theyhavecometovalueitanddonotwantittostop;

“Justdon’tdeleteit,don’tstopit.Keepitgoing.”(Interview5).

“It’sjustafantasticservicethatyou’redoing.”(Interview9)

“I’vegotusedtoit,Iuseitalot,itsprettygood,it’soneofthebetterideas.”(Interview11).

“It’sanextremelyusefulinnovation...welldone...pleasecarryon.”(Interview12).

39

“Ithoughtitwasajollygoodidea...verywellthoughtout.”(Interview18).

‘Ifindthisservicehelpful,Ihopeitsticksaround.’(Prisonersurvey).

‘JustmakesurePrisonVoicemailneverretires(Prisonersurvey)

‘Youofferavaluedservicetoboththefamily/friendsofprisoners–myhopeisthatthiswill

beheretostayasIknowmostusersofyourservicewillappreciatetheserviceprovided.’

(Prisonersurvey).

40

PersonalStoriesPersonalstory:Julie

Ø UsesPrisonVoicemailtocommunicatewithherpartnerwhensheisinhospitalØ Feelsabletogoonholidayforthefirsttimein6yearsduetoPrisonVoicemail

Juliecommunicateswithherpartnerinprison.ShedescribedhowPrisonVoicemailhelped“takesomeofthestressoutofthesituation”.ShedescribedhowshehasregularhospitalappointmentsbutpriortoPrisonVoicemail,shewasatthe“mercyofwhenhecouldgettothetelephone”andthereforecouldnotalwaystellherpartnerwhatwashappeningwhenshewasawayfromhome.Shewentontodescribehowshehasnothadaholidayin6yearsbutbecauseofPrisonVoicemailshenowfeelsshecanbecauseshewillbeabletousePrisonVoicemailtoletherpartnerknowshehasarrivedsafely,evenifitslate,andhecanpickupthemessageatanytime.JuliesaidPrisonVoicemailhasgivenherpeaceofmindandhelpssheandherpartnerto,“safeguardourselvesagainstanyproblems”.Shesaidithasprovidedthemwithsomefeelingsofnormalitythatshehasn’thadbefore.(Interview2)PersonalStory:Sue

Ø SuehasusedPrisonVoicemailtohavemorecontactwithherpartnerandovercomesomeofthechallengesoftheprisonregimewhichlimitedtheircontact

Ø SheandherpartnerusePrisonVoicemailtohelpthemdealwithdifficultemotionsSueandherpartneroftenstruggletospeaktoeachotherbecausesheworksduringthedayandthereforeherphonewouldbeswitchedoff.Bythetimeshegetshomefromwork,herpartneronlyhasbetween6.30pmand7pmonsomenightstoringherandthephonesareusuallybusy.Sheisalsoonlyabletovisittwiceeachmonth.Suedescribedhowifshe’shadbadnewsandfeltreallydown,shecouldleaveamessageevenintheearlyhoursofthemorningwhichhelpedhergetitoffherchestandthenherpartnerwouldringthenextdayandthey’dhaveachataboutit.Shesaidleavingmessagesmadeherfeelrelaxedbecausesheknewhewouldlistentothem.Shesaidshecould“talk,talk,talk”andeventhoughshewastalkingtoamachine,itfeltlikeshewastalkingtoherpartner.SuesaidherpartneralsousesPrisonVoicemailto“liftthespirits”.Shedescribedhowhetoldherthatsometimeshefeelsdowninprisonbutfeelslikehecan’tshowemotioninthereandsohe’lllistentohervoicemailsandit“putsasmileonhisface”.Suealsoappearedtofeelcomfortedbythefactshecouldtellherpartnereverydaythatsheloveshimandthathe’smissed.SuesaidshetellseveryoneshetalkstoattheprisonaboutPrisonVoicemail.(Interview3)

41

Personalstory:Helen

Ø UsesPrisonwithherhusbandinprisonandtheir9-year-olddaughtertokeepupfamilyrituals

Ø UsesPrisonVoicemailtoinvolveherhusbandinparentingØ UsesPrisonVoicemailtomanagepracticalandlegalissues

HelensavesthePrisonVoicemailmessagesfromherhusbandsothattheirdaughtercanlistentoherDad’svoicewhenevershewantsto.Priortohimgoingtoprison,everyweekendthefamilyhad‘MovieNight’together.Helenvividlydescribedhowtheyallhadadrink,herhusbandarumandcoke,theirdaughteracokeandHelenaglassofwine,andwatchedamovie.Helenandherdaughterhavecontinuedthistraditionbuttheystillinvolveherhusbandinit.Duringmovienight,theleavehimavoicemailsaying“CheersDaddy,wemissyou,weloveyou”.Helensaidhestillfeltpartofwhatistheirritualasafamily.HelenalsousesPrisonVoicemailtoinvolveherhusbandinparenting.Frexample,iftheirdaughtergotameritatschool,shewouldcallandlethimknowsothatwhenhephoned,hecouldspeaktotheirdaughteraboutitstraightaway.Hewouldsaytoher,“littleblackbirdtoldmeyouhadareallygooddayatschooltoday”.Ifherdaughterwashavingabaddayandshowingsomenegativebehaviour,shewouldexplaintoherthatshewasringingherDadandwouldringhimduringthediscussionsohecouldhearwhathadhappenedwhichallowedthemtohaveaconsistentandunitedapproach.HelenalsousesPrisonVoicemailtohelpresolvepracticalandlegalissues.Forexample,ifheneededtoprepareforlegalvisits.Shewouldlethimknowwhowasduetovisit,whatheneededandwhen.ShewouldalsotellhimusingPrisonVoicemailwhenshepostedore-mailedanyimportantdocumentstohimsohecouldlookoutforthem.(Interview9)PersonalStory:Gemma

Ø UsesPrisonVoicemailtohelpmanagehermentalhealthWhensheishavingabaddayandheranxietyis“kickingoff”,Gemmacontactsherfiancétolethimknowandheringsherwhenhereceivesthemessageandthishelpstocalmherdown.Shesaidleavinghimamessagehelpsherfeelabitclosertohim.Shesaidsometimessheforgetstotellhimthingsonavisitanditmightbeamonthortwobeforeshevisitsagainsosheleaveshimamessagetotellhim.GemmaalsosaidshestruggleswithOCDandbeingabletoleaveamessageanytimehelpsherfeelincontrol.Gemmaalsoleavesherfiancémessageswhensheishavingagooddaytoo.(Interview8)

42

PersonalStory:Catherine

Ø UsesPrisonVoicemailtokeepherhusbandinvolvedinthingshappeningoutsidetheprison

Ø UsedPrisonVoicemailtogetconsenttospeaktoherhusband’sprobationofficer.CatherinedescribedawholelistofthingssheusedPrisonVoicemailforwhichincludedtellingherhusbandaboutanewjob,somethingthathappenedatwork,ifthedoghadbeentothevets,informationabouttheirfinancesandifthey’dhadaletterforabill.Shesaidsheusesittokeephiminthepictureaboutthingsthatpeopledon’trealisesuchaswhenthenew£5notecameoutwhichhewon’tseeuntilheisreleasedfromprison.CatherinealsousedPrisonVoicemailasawayofefficientlygettingconsentforherhusband’sprobationofficertospeaktoher.Hisprobationofficerexplainedthattheyneededconsentbeforetheycouldshareinformationwithherbutaletterwouldtakeseveraldays.Helenaskedherhusbandtoleaveavoicemailprovidingtheconsent.Helensavedthemessageasafavouriteusingthemobileappandwasquicklyabletoretrievethemessagewhenshemetwithhisprobationofficer.(Interview7)Personalstory:Kirsty

Ø PartnerusesPrisonVoicemailtohelpmanagehismentalhealthØ PartnerusesPrisonVoicemailtoaskhertohelphimwiththings

KirstysaidPrisonVoicemailhasbeenfantasticforbothherandherpartner.Sheexplainedthathesometimesstruggleswithself-harmandfindsithardtoexpresshimself.However,whenheleavesamessage,heisabletoexpresshimself.Shesaidthishasdefinitelyhelpedtoreducehisself-harm.Shesaidsometimesitcanbehardtolistentohismessagesifheishavingadifficulttimebuttherearehappyonesandgoodonestoo.KirstysaidtheyalsofinditusefulbecausehecanletKirstyknowifthereisanythingthatheneedssuchassortingthingswithsolicitors.(Interview13)Personalstory:Alison

Ø UsedPrisonVoicemailtokeeptheconnectionwithhersonØ UsedPrisonVoicemailtoexplaintohersonthattheoutsideisgoodandisworthnot

gettingintotroublefor.AlisonsaidsheusedPrisonVoicemailwheneversomethingcameintoherhead,evenifwasmundane.SheexplainedthatshejustwantedtoconnectasaMumandkeepthatemotionalconnection.SheusedPrisonVoicemailtoreiteratetohersonthatshelovedhimandwouldstillbethereforhim.Shesaidsometimesshefeltlikeshewasdoingitmoreforherselfthanforhim.However,healsouseditifhewantedtoaskhisfamilylooksomethingupontheinternet,toaskforsomemoneytobesentinifhewasrunningoutortoconfirmavisit.Alongsidethis,AlisondescribedhowshealsousedPrisonVoicemailtotalkaboutfamilyoccasionsandwantingtolethersonknowthatlifewasstillgoingonoutsidetheprisonandthatoutsidetheprisonisgoodandworthnotgettingintotroublefor.Alison’ssonhasnowbeenreleasedfromprisonbutshesaidtheservicewasinvaluable.(Interview15)

43

Discussion

ThisresearchaimedtoevaluatethePrisonVoicemailservice,mainlyintermsofperceptions

ofitsuseandutility.ThefindingssuggestthatPrisonVoicemailisperceivedasan

innovativeandhighlyeffectiveservicewhichhasaprofoundeffectonseveralareasof

prisonerandfamilylife.

Accordingtothosesurveyed,PrisonVoicemailisaccessedbypeopleofallages,acrossall

areasoftheprisonestate,inallareasofthecountry.Itisaccessibleatanytimeandoffers

immediacyofcommunicationthatfamiliessooftenloseduetotheconstraintsofprisonand

thedistanceprisonersaredetainedfromtheirsupportnetworks.Itisusedacrossarange

ofrelationships;partners,family,childrenandfriends.Itismorefrequentlyusedbythose

onlongersentencesbutisalsoaccessedbythoseonshortersentencesandremand.

Similarly,bothvulnerableandmainpopulationprisonersusetheserviceanditisusedby

foreignnationalprisoners;althoughatarelativelylowlevel.Furtherresearchisrequiredto

ascertainwhythislowerlevelofuseisthecase.

RespondentsindicatedthattheuseofPrisonVoicemailactedtosupportfamiliesin

maintainingandpossiblystrengtheningfamilytieswhichhadanimpactonimproved

wellbeingandhealthforitsusersbothintheprison,andthoseleftoutside.Usingthe

systemwasseentohelpresolvepracticalissuesfasterandtoeasethestressesofprisonon

allparties.Thesystemisperceivedasreasonablyvaluedandcostappearstohaveminimal

impactontheincreasedfinancialburdenthatfamiliesoftenhaveasaresultof

imprisonment.AvisualsummaryoftheperceivedbenefitsisdetailedinAppendix2.

Increasingawarenessofthesystemisseenasimportantalthoughproblematic.Advertising

throughpostersseemstobesomewhateffective,althoughthisisinconsistentacross

prisonsandlargelyoutsideofthecontrolofPrisonVoicemail.Respondentscanremember

seeingtheposters,however,overalluptakeisstillrelativelylow.Toincreaseknowledgeof

thesystem,itislikelythataninitiativefromHMPrisonandProbationService(HMPPS)will

beneeded.Suchaninitiativewouldaimto;ensurethatprisonsconsistentlyadvertisethe

servicesinprominentareas,ensureallstaffareawareofandpromotingtheservice,ensure

44

thatallprisonersandtheirfamiliesreceiveinformationaboutPrisonVoicemail,howit

works,andthepotentialbenefitsduringtheirinduction.

UsersoftheserviceindicatedthatPrisonVoicemailprovidedthemwithhighlevelsof

customerserviceandawillingnesstoberesponsivetofeedback.Asaresultofthe

perceivedbenefitsandstandardsofservice,PrisonVoicemailusershaveactively

recommendedtheservicetoothers.

Thisresearchisnotwithoutitslimitations.Itisessentiallyausersatisfactionsurvey,

however,giventhepositivenatureofthefindings,thereareclearareaswhichneedtobe

followedupwithfurthermorerigorousresearch.Firstly,datawasonlycollectedfrom

activeusersanditcouldbearguedthatactiveusersaremorelikelytoprovidepositive

feedback.Inactiveusersmaynotbeusingitbecausetheydon’tunderstandit,becausethey

don’tneedit,becausetheydon’tseethevalue,orbecausetheyhaveamorenegativeview

oftheservice.Furtherevaluationshouldincludeinactiveusersandnon-users.

Secondly,theresearchrelieduponself-reportdatacollectionwhichhasinherentlimitations

suchasdemandcharacteristicsandparticipants’abilitytoeffectivelydiscernaspectsoftheir

experienceandthencoherentlycommunicatethis(Polkinghorne,2005).Furtherresearch

shouldinvestigatetheareascoveredwithinthisresearchinmoredetailandallow

triangulationwithactuarialdata.Forexample,psychometricscouldbeusedtocompare

wellbeingandrelationshipoutcomesinusersversusnonusersanditmayalsobepossible

tolookattheimpactofthebettermaintenanceoffamilyties(throughPrisonVoicemail)

andongoingprisonbehaviour.CollaborationwiththeHMPrisonsandProbationService

mayallowforcomparisonsinratesofsuicide/self-harm,misconductincustodyand

reoffendingbetweenPrisonVoicemailusersandnon-users.Tobetterunderstandthe

processesbeingundertaken,discourseanalysiscouldbeutilisedtoresearchthecontentof

thevoicemails,althoughitisacknowledgedthatthismaybefraughtwithethicalchallenges.

TheavailabilityofPrisonVoicemailhasspreadveryquicklyacrossHMPPSbuttherearestill

someprisonswithoutaccessandawiderangeofprisonerswithoutknowledgeofthe

service.GiventhepotentialrangingbenefitsofPrisonVoicemailappearstohave,andthe

45

factthatmanyprisonersmoveestablishments,itwouldseemsensibleforittobeoffered

acrossallestablishments.CurrentlyPrisonVoicemailisonlyavailableinEnglandandWales

anditmaybeappropriatetoexpandthis.Giventhatliteratureabouttheinteraction

betweenimprisonmentandfamilieshasbeenevidencedinnumerouscountriesaroundthe

world(e.g.USA(Ardittietal,2003),Scotland(Loucks,2004),Spain(CidandMarti,2012)),it

seemsfeasibletosuggestthatprisonersandtheirfamilieswithinothercountriesmayalso

benefitfromasystemsuchasPrisonVoicemail.

Tosummarise,thefindingsfromthisreportareasfollows:

Ø PrisonVoicemailoffersaservicethatishighlyvaluedbyitsexistingclients.

Ø PrisonVoicemailofferssupportaroundhealthandwellbeing,practicalitiesand

familyties.Italsohasaperceivedinfluenceonthelikelihoodofreoffending.

Ø PrisonVoicemailisavailableinmostprisonsacrossEnglandandWalesbutcouldbe

madeavailableinallprisonsacrossEnglandandWales

Ø PrisonVoicemailisviewedasbeingresponsivetofeedbackandshouldcontinueto

workconsistentlytowardsimplementingthesuggestionsforimprovementgivenby

itsexistingclients,andprovidingfeedbackwhensuggestionscannotbe

implemented.

Ø ThereisaneedtoensureconsistentpromotionofPrisonVoicemailandtoensure

thatallprisonersandtheirfamiliesarereliablyinformedaboutPrisonVoicemail,

howitworks,specificfeatures,andthepotentialbenefitsofusingit.

Ø Non-UKnationalsareunderrepresentedasusingPrisonVoicemailandadvertisingin

alternativelanguagesmayincreasethis.

Ø ResearchintoPrisonVoicemailshouldbeextendedwiththeaimofgatheringfurther

insightintothebenefitsandfunctionofPrisonVoicemailforprisonersandtheir

familiesparticularlywithregardto;familyties,wellbeing,safety,prisonbehaviour

andreoffending.

Ø Giventhepotentialneedanddemandforsuchaserviceinotherprisonsystems

aroundtheworld,PrisonVoicemailmightconsidermakingtheirsystemmorewidely

available

46

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48

Appendix1:Feedbackregardingsuggestionsandimprovements

Suggestion Feedback

Prisonerstobeabletoleave

avoicemailwithoutthe

needfortheirfamily/friend

toleaveonefirst

ThePrisonVoicemailteamhaveimplementedthisasithasbeenthe

mostrequestedfeature.Ifaprisonerdoesnothaveamessage,they

willatfirstgetthebusytonetopreventanyphonecreditbeingused.

However,iftheyredialthenumberwithinoneminute,theywillbe

connectedandabletoleaveamessage.Thishasbeencommunicated

toprisonersusingaone-timeautomatedmessagewhichexplainsthe

feature

Dateandtimestamps Sofar,thishasnotbeenwidelyrequestedandthePrisonVoicemail

teamarecautiousaboutaddingafeaturewhichwouldputadditional

timeontocallswhichwouldusetheircredit.However,theyare

continuingtodiscusshowthiscouldbeimplementedinthemost

efficientway.Theiraimistomakethisoptionaltoallowforvoicemail

userswhodonotwantthisfeature.

Theabilitytodelete,re-

recordandsavemessages

Familiescannowhavecompletecontrolovertheirmessagesusingthe

mobileappwhichisavailableonAndroidandiOS.Thisallowsthemto

save,favourite,re-recordanddeletemessages.UnfortunatelyPrison

Voicemailhavebeenunabletodothisforprisonersatthepresent

time.Thisisbecauseprisonphonesdonotallow‘touchtones’tobe

usedoncethelineisconnectedandthereforethiscannotbeusedasa

waytoprovideprisonerswithcontrolovertheirmessages.Voice

controlwastrialledbutmostprisonerswerereluctanttousethis.The

teamarehowever,exploringtheoptiontoenablefamilymembersto

re-sendfavouritemessagesusingtheapp.Thiswillallowprisonersto

re-listen.

Tochangethe‘lineisbusy’

messagewhenthemailbox

isempty.

ThereasonthishappensisbecausethePrisonVoicemailsystemisset

torejectcallsfromaprisoneriftheyhavenomessageswaiting.Ifthe

linewastoconnect,evenforjustasecond,theprisonerwouldlose1

minuteofcreditfromtheirphoneaccount.Unfortunately,the

messagegivenwhencallsarerejectedissetbythephonecompany.

Prisonerstonothavetopay

inadditiontothepayments

TheMinistryofJusticedonotcurrentlyallowFreephonenumbers

exceptinasmallsetofcircumstancessuchasfortheSamaritans

49

madebyfamily/friends helpline.PrisonVoicemailhavebeenunabletogetapprovalfor

FreephonenumbersforPrisonVoicemailaccountsbutthisis

somethingtheywouldliketocontinuetopursue.

Increased

awareness/advertising

ThePrisonVoicemailteamhavebeenconstantlylookingfornewways

toincreaseawarenessoftheserviceandwillcontinuetoinvestinthis.

Currently,PrisonVoicemailisadvertisedusingadiversenumberof

routesincludingtheleafletsandpostersaroundprisons,theInside

Time(nationalprisonnewspaper),HMPPSswitchboardandintranet,

theHMPPSinternaltrainingteam,theHMPPSSeniorLeadersBulletin,

theMinistryofJusticeonlineprisondirectory,theNationalPrison

ChaplaincyAssociation,theSamaritansListenersnetwork,National

PrisonRadioandprisonfamilyservicessuchasLincolnshireAction

Trust,NEPACS,Pact,OrmistonandBarnardo’s).

Prisonerstobeabletoset

PrisonVoicemailup

themselves

ThePrisonVoicemailTeamhavealreadybeneexploringthisbutthere

aresomechallengesrelatingtohowthepersoninprisonwouldbeable

topayfortheiraccount.PrisonVoicemailareliaisingwiththe

departmentthatmanagesprisoncanteenaccounts.

Syncingtheappwiththe

phoneline

Theseshouldalwayssyncunlesstheappuserdoesnothaveinternet

connectivity.PrisonVoicemailwillcontinuetofixanyissuestheyare

alertedto.

Discretenessonbank

statementsandtheapp

logo

ThePrisonVoicemailteamtrialledchangingtheirnameto‘PVoicemail’

onbankstatementsbutexperiencedasubstantialincreaseinthe

numberofchargebackswherepeopledidnotrecognisetheitemand

askedtheirbanktoreversethecharge.Eachchargebackyielded

significantadministrationfeesandthereforetheyhadnochoicebutto

returntousingthefullname.

Optionallongermessages Themessagesarelimitedto3minuteseachtopreventprisonersusing

upalloftheircreditlisteningtomessagesorthecallcuttingoffpart

waythroughamessage.However,thePrisonVoicemailteamare

investigatinggainingaccesstoinformationabouthowmuchcredit

someonehasandifthereissufficientcredit,thesystemwouldallow

longermessages.

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Appendix2:Summary

51

95%orprisoners–voicemailshelpmehavebettercontact83%ofprisoners–relationshipsarebetterbecauseofPrisonVoicemail96%offamilies–voicemailsallowmetohavebettercontactwithmyfamilyinprison93%offamilies–myrelationshipwithmyfamilyinprisonisbetterbecauseofvoicemail

RelationshipsandFamilyTies

“WhenI’velefthimamessage,Ifeelabitcloser”

“AtleastIcantellhimeverydaythatIlovehim”

“Mywifeusesit...sheoftencatchesmyyoungest

firstwords...simplyamazing”

-Flexibilitytoleavemessagesanytime-Helpsmaintainfeelingsofconnectionbetweenfamiliesandtheoutsideworld-Facilitatesinvolvementofpeopleinprisonwithfamilyeventsandparenting

Practicalities90%ofprisoners–voicemailshelpmegetpracticalissuessortedfaster96%offamilies–voicemailshelpmegetpracticalissuessortedfaster.“HecanleavemeimportantmessagesandIcandothingsforhim,Icanhelphimmorethananythingtogetthingssortedlikesolicitorsandthings“-Helpsprepareforofficialvisitsandliaisewithprobationandsolicitors

Behaviour&Reoffending55%ofprisoners–PrisonVoicemailislikelytohelpmestopreoffending63%ofprisoners–Voicemailshelpmebehavebetterinprison.“Wewantedtoshowthatlifeisstillgoingonoutside...tryingtoshowhimthatoutsideisgoodanditsworthnotgettingintotroublefor”

96%ofprisoners–voicemailsmakethemfeelbetter92%ofprisoners–voicemailsaremakingprisoneasier97%offamilies–leavingvoicemailsmakesmefeelbetter97%offamilies–PrisonVoicemailismakingiteasierformewhilemyfamilymemberisinprison

HealthandWellbeing“Itwaslikealittlestrawwecouldgrab”

“ItfeltlikenormalityandIhaven’thadthatbefore”

“Itsmademysentencealoteasiertodealwith”

“Madelifealotmorebearableforusinavery

difficultsituation”

-Relievessomeofthestressesandstrainsofimprisonment-Helpedpeoplefeellessworried-Gavebacksomecontrol-Increasedpositivefeelings-Usedasatooltohelpmanagementalhealth