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Andy Keen-Downs CBE, Chief Executive of the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) delivered a 'Pub Talk' for the Catholic Union earlier this week, chaired by journalist, Catherine Pepinster.

The talk covered a range of issues including the impact of imprisonment on a person's children and their wider family. Speaking to a packed pub, Andy said:

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“Leaving prison can be as frightening as going into prison [with] prisoners and their families needing support along the way. We must not forget the hidden sentences for those family members who suffer stigma, abuse and hardship. As many as 200,000 children per annum are affected by a parent being in prison and we know with absolute certainty that maintaining good, healthy and mutual familial relationships is a lifeline of support and reduces crime rates; it helps prevent children suffering collateral damage when their parents are imprisoned”.

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Pact has been helping prisoners and their families for 126 years and supports 485,000 prison visits each year, with a further 3,000 calls to its helpline. The charity's vision is one where justice is understood by society as a process of restoration and healing, in which prisons are used sparingly and as places of learning and rehabilitation, and in which the innate dignity and worth of every human being is valued.

Pact is due to publish an ecumenical report later this month, providing a united Christian voice, with constructive proposals for urgent prison reform.  To find out more about Pact, visit their website