Contacts of people serving prison sentences during the COVID-19 pandemic with their families and loved ones

Abstract

Objectives Contacts of persons serving prison terms with their family, relatives and friends allow the fulfillment of specific needs, constituting one of the most important penitentiary activities. These contacts carried out on a daily basis during the Covid 19 pandemic were limited and, in fact, impossible for some time. Material and methods The aim of the study was to diagnose prisoners in terms of their contacts with family and other close people (forms, frequency, assessment) during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study formulated in this way obliged us to implement the project in a normative paradigm (Rubacha, 2011, p. 311). The research was conducted using the diagnostic survey method (Babbie, 2001, p. 268) using a questionnaire. Results The research presented in the article is part of a research program relating to post-penitentiary assistance and social readaptation of people serving prison sentences. Conclusions Before the pandemic began, three out of four inmates used telephone contacts and approximately 2/3 of them used visits. Nearly half of the inmates pointed to the letters, and every fourth - to the Skype messenger. Let us add that before the pandemic, 11% of respondents did not use any forms of contact, 30% - used one of them (usually visits or telephone contact). 43% of all respondents used both telephone contacts and visits. The "other" answers included: "I didn't use it", "I wasn't imprisoned",

Keywords

• contacts
• imprisonment
• covid-19 pandemic
• family
• meet