Who serves the sentence?

THERE are currently around 79,000 prisoners in the UK and over 75,000 are men. In our diocese there are two male prisons. Have you ever wondered what it must be like for Mum and the children if Dad goes to prison? They can feel punished too. . .

. . but why is the Mothers' Union stepping in to help? It is an organisation which offers Christian care for families worldwide and has a membership of 3.6million in 77 countries.

In more than 80 prisons throughout the UK and Ireland, there are a variety of projects concerned with prisoners and their families. Prisons can be more than 100 miles from home, a long way to travel for a short visit, especially if young children are involved. The little ones are often thrilled to see Dad . . . but they can get bored and become a nuisance. So this is where the Mothers' Union and MUDPIES volunteers
(both men and women) come in . . .

So what is MUDPIES? It is the acronym for Chelmsford Mothers' Union & Diocese Prison Initiatives. The project operates in the two prisons in the diocese - Bullwood Hall (184 prisoners) and Chelmsford, a Category B local prison and young offender institution (575).

Lydia Gladwin, prison work co-ordinator, social worker and wife of Bishop John, says: "The needs which the projects seek to meet are a welcome to families and provision forchildren in the visits' halls.

"Before we launched MUDPIES there was little provision in the visits' halls, no toys and no play areas."

So MUDPIES launched five initiatives:
● Support for the needs of the children and the partners of prisoners.
● Providing supervised recreational facilities for them within the prisons.
● Involvement in support of pastoral work of Chaplaincy such as asylum seekers.
● A homework club for children with their fathers (Chelmsford).
● Special children's visits (Bullwood Hall).

 Lydia adds: "Progress to date has seen the setting up of a designated play area in Chelmsford prison which has been stocked with toys and equipment given by churches at Christmas.

"Donations from services on Prison Sunday in November and at Christmas have supported organisation and development costs. We have also received a substantial donation from the Essex Youth Trust.

"At Bullwood Hall, MUDPIES provides a welcome facility for families in a room outside the main gate where tea and coffee is served to visitors who have often travelled considerable distances.

"Sometimes we are able to share their anxieties about their situation and its effect on their family life.

"At both Chelmsford and Bullwood Hall, volunteers are able to give a practical demonstration of the Christian values of family life by supporting families in such stressful environments.

"And it is vitally important too that we are able to help children to enjoy visiting their fathers in the prison setting."

But Lydia stressed the need for volunteers to come forward to join MUDPIES and make it a success story.
She added: "As a volunteer, it is also vital to form supportive relationships with prison staff. Once the play area has been set up, the volunteers supervise and relate to the children and their parents. At Bullwood Hall, there is the additional duty of welcoming visitors and serving refreshments. It can be a most rewarding experience.

"Volunteers can be on duty as regularly as they can manage - ideally about once a month - but they will always be working with other volunteers.

"All volunteers will need Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance and prison vetting but the only experience needed is working with children. Pastoral care, such as that offered in churches, is a help.

"It is most helpful if two or more people from a church could offer to fill a regular slot.

"If we take the Gospel seriously, we must surely respond to Our Lord's specific command
to love one another - "I was in prison and you visited me". We are Christ's hands and his feet
in this world. While some may take the view that offenders are justly punished by imprisonment, families and children do not deserve to suffer as they inevitably do."

● To volunteer or obtain further information, please contact Lydia on 01277 351833 or Carole Goddard on 01992 573672 (carole@dibleyhouse.com).

 

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