Why fathers in prison need to maintain contact with their families

“It helped me stay part of their lives – but some people simply can’t in the current system”

Why fathers in prison need to maintain contact with their families

“It helped me stay part of their lives – but some people simply can’t in the current system”

20 May 2026

Being a parent is commonplace in UK prisons, and prisoners who maintain contact with their families are up to six times less likely to reoffend.

However, many fathers are unable to stay in touch because of the cost of calls to home.

Now research by the University of Plymouth, which was this week cited in the House of Commons, is raising awareness of the issue – and what needs to happen to overcome the barriers.

Neil Roberts, from Ivybridge, shared his experiences of keeping in touch with his children, who were aged five and one when he started his 18-month sentence for a financial crime.

Calls to approved numbers – including home – cost 12p per minute. But, when earning £12–£15 per week in a prison job, he said it was eaten up quickly.

“Making a phone call seems like such a simple thing but in prison it isn’t. Nowadays it’s common for there to be a phone in each cell, but you have to pay to use it and it’s a significant amount of what you are able to earn inside.
“I was also fortunate that I was between Dartmoor and Channings Wood, which meant my kids could visit me relatively regularly in person. But, with prisons at capacity, being close doesn’t always happen, making it even harder.”

Neil Roberts

Feeling ‘invisible’

Approximately 70,067 men in prison are fathers, but research led by Dr Jasmine Kelland showed little or no support exists to enable them to stay in touch with their families regularly.

Neil’s experiences, alongside those of 29 other dads released from prison over the past 18 months, fed into the research to understand the barriers they face.

We found that fathers feel 'invisible' within the prison system, and no thought is given to parenting or structured programmes.

There's minimal support for prisoners' reintegration with family upon release, meaning they're searching online for how to do things.

One thing that has come up a lot in discussions is that even when video calls exist, there are barriers to accessing them.

Also, with regard to communications systems more widely, provisions vary greatly between prisons which is very disruptive and upsetting for families trying to navigate them.

The justice system is meant to enable rehabilitation and without better support for fathers to stay in touch with their children in a structured way, there’s a big gap there.

Dr Jasmine Kelland
Associate Head of School - Student Experience

Vikki Slade MP raised the issue in the House of Commons this week, saying:

“An often underappreciated element of the criminal justice system is the impact it has on fathers’ ability to stay part of their families. My friend, the honourable member for Henley and Thames, shared research from the University of Plymouth on fathers separated from their children and its impact on family life.

"If we’re going to reform people in prison and rehabilitate them, we must take steps to help them maintain their family relationships. So will he take steps to tackle communication barriers for those with young children, and improve the way that our children integrate with their parents when they’re in prison?”

David Lammy MP, the Secretary of State for Justice, said that he would ‘look closely’ at the issue.

“It’s the simple things.”

Neil is also part of Storybook Dads – a Saltash-based initiative that enables dads in prison to record themselves reading to their children.

He recorded and edited the storybook films while in prison, and started work for the organisation upon release.

Honestly – phone calls, storybooks, it’s the small, simple things that help you stay in touch.

Maintaining contact the way I did helped me stay part of their lives – but some people simply can’t in the current system. We at least need to make phone calls more affordable if we can.

Neil Roberts

Feeling ‘invisible’

“It’s the simple things.”

More information