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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
5
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
6
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
9
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).
10
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.
11
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?
13
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
15
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
16
Table2belowreportsthepercentageofpositiveresponsestoeachevaluationstatement
whereapositiveresponseisaslightlyorstronglyagree.Nisthenumberofpeoplewho
answeredthatstatement.PositiveresponsesindicatefavourableviewstoPrisonVoicemail
(i.e.slightly/stronglyagree,withtheexceptionofstatement3wherestatements
slightly/stronglydisagreeisindicativeofapositiveresponse).Ahighermeanscore(froma
rangeofscores0-3)alsoindicatesafavourableresponseexceptforstatement3wherea
lowermeanscoreismorefavourable.
17
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