We were pleased to see the report from the Centre for Social Justice: Digital Technology in Prisons: Unlocking relationships, learning and skills in UK prisons, which highlighted the important role that technology can play in prisons.

The report demonstrates how digital technology could be used to better facilitate family contact, prepare prisoners for release into an increasingly digitised world, and how it can be used to improve access to education and online courses which are essential for rehabilitation – all of which has come into sharp focus during the past year with the effects of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We hope that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will act on the recommendations outlined in the report, and were encouraged to see the news that video calls will become a permanent feature to complement and enhance social visits, once they are back up and running. We look forward to supporting the MoJ and prison service on this agenda moving forward, and ensuring that the views of prisoners’ families are represented on this issue.

Find out more

• Read the Centre for Social Justice report in full.
• Read the latest government information about COVID-19 and prisons.
• Take a look at our online prison Visitors' Guides for more ways to keep in touch with loved ones in prison while visits are suspended.