Flynn Catherine, Bartels Lorana, Dennison Susan, Taylor Helen, Harrigan Susy
Department of Social Work Monash University Caulfield East Victoria Australia.
Centre for Social Research and Methods Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia.
Child Fam Soc Work. 2022 Feb;27(1):67-78. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12873. Epub 2021 Aug 22.
Most of the research examining children visiting a parent in prison indicates that visits have a positive impact on children's well-being, their connection to the imprisoned parent and the parent themselves. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a significant change to prison visits worldwide, with limits or bans on face-to-face contact. Understanding the experiences and needs of children during this period remains limited. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 84 carers of 184 children across Australia, investigating children's experiences of contact with their imprisoned parent both before and during COVID-19 restrictions. Although most carers reported maintaining contact during restrictions, a range of difficulties were noted: reduced availability; the effect of prison-based issues, including lockdowns; and the suitability of video/telephone visits for young children. Some described the benefits of videoconferencing, including reduced travel time and cost, and not needing to take children into a prison environment. Despite this, respondents typically described the negative impact of restrictions, and lack of physical contact, on children's emotional well-being. Our findings suggest that, for video visiting to be successful, it should be complementary to in-person visits, tailored to the needs of children, with support offered to families.
大多数针对儿童探监的研究表明，探监对儿童的幸福、他们与被监禁父母的联系以及父母自身都有积极影响。然而，新冠疫情给全球范围内的监狱探视带来了重大变化，面对面接触受到限制或禁止。目前对于这一时期儿童的经历和需求的了解仍然有限。本文展示了一项对澳大利亚各地184名儿童的84名照料者的调查结果，该调查探究了新冠疫情限制措施实施之前及期间儿童与被监禁父母的接触经历。尽管大多数照料者报告称在限制措施实施期间仍保持着联系，但也指出了一系列困难：可利用的机会减少；基于监狱的问题（包括封锁）的影响；以及视频/电话探视对幼儿的适用性。一些人描述了视频会议的好处，包括减少了旅行时间和成本，以及无需将孩子带入监狱环境。尽管如此，受访者通常描述了限制措施以及缺乏身体接触对儿童情绪健康的负面影响。我们的研究结果表明，为了使视频探视取得成功，它应该作为面对面探视的补充，根据儿童的需求进行调整，并为家庭提供支持。
