Open Estate Information Session
Families Outside, The Scottish Prison Service and the Salvation Army held an information session for families visiting HMP Edinburgh. The information session was held in the Edinburgh Prison Visitors’ Centre on the afternoon of the 24 October 2012 where it was deemed most relevant to the visiting population. Stewart Tweedlie, Casework Manager from HMP Castle Huntly attended the session alongside Kerry Knox, Family Support Worker from Families Outside. Throughout the 2 hour session Stewart spoke with five families who were directed to him by Kerry after identifying that their family members were going to be going to the Open Estate or had the potential to go.
Before the event took place, Kerry had advertised the session in the Edinburgh Prison Visitors’ Centre three weeks prior to the date and explained in a leaflet what families should expect. Two of the five families that attended, travelled toEdinburghspecifically to find out information. The other three families were in the Centre for their planned visit with their family member.
After the event, Stewart thought that it had been beneficial for the families and the Scottish Prison Service as it will allow him and his team to revise the current information they have for families.
Both Stewart and Kerry are keen to run this event again and can see it being a regular session in the calendar of events. It was thought that when it is organised again, a wider advertising circle can be looked at.