EXCLUSIVE: "My children haven't seen their father's face in more than a year"
It's feared children in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire could be among thousands who have been cut off from seeing parents in prison
Last updated 25th Mar 2021
A mother who's partner is in prison has warned thousands of children could have been cut-off from their parents during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lou says her children haven't seen their fathers face in more than a year because they've not been able to organise a video call with his prison.
"It's heartbreaking," Lou says. "Even for him to just see a new hairstyle my daughter's got or read a book to his children is hard. He has no idea how big his children are now."
Lou says she understand that her husband has committed a crime and has to be punished. But she's worried the lack of visiting will have a permanent damage on her children's relationship with him.
"They're still family members missing another family member" she says. "It's hard as an adult so I have no idea how hard it must be for my children. It's unnecessary."
To book visits with prisoners, families have to use a secure system called Purple Visits.
But many have struggled to book in slots and have found it often cuts out. 30 minute calls can often only end up in 10 minutes of conversation.
A charity called Children Heard and Seen has been helping families like Lou's all across the country- including in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
James Ottley is one of their support workers. He thinks the government's had long enough to improve the system.
"The technology behind it has a facial recognition system, but when small children move around, it cuts out" James says.
He feels like children are being punished for crimes their parents have committed, and thinks people often forget that they've "done nothing wrong."
The Ministry of Justice has defended the strict visiting rules however.
It says they've stopped coronavirus getting into prisons and has saved lives.
A spokesperson for the department said: “There is no question our response has saved lives and helped protect the NHS, with infections and deaths in prisons significantly lower than predicted at the start of the pandemic.
“We have worked continuously improve the system for those in custody and their families, with 97% of prisoners saying that video calls have a positive impact.”