The Value of Programs Supporting Maintaining the Bond between Prisoners and Their Families from the Perspective of the Social Inclusion Process

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on projects implemented in penitentiary institutions of the Czech Republic and Poland. The research was conducted among prisoners participating in programs in the field of integration of families with children under 15 years of age. The research method was a diagnostic survey. An analysis of their functioning in the conditions of prison isolation was made taking into account the relations between them and their relatives and children. The issue of provisions and legal regulations concerning the standards of penitentiary processes, including maintaining family ties, was also discussed. The results of the research confirmed the importance of contact with family and children and participation in family integration programs for inmates. The focus was put on one of the most important means of penitentiary influence which, in the current penitentiary reality, constitutes a prerequisite for succeeding in social inclusion and abandoning criminal activity. This is definitely a protective factor. The research is a valuable recommendation for the development of specific strategies of penitentiary proceedings aimed at strengthening the quality of the family system in a situation where parents are serving a prison sentence. The article also indicates outstanding penitentiary programs in the field of family integration implemented in prisons.