‘Cultural Consequences – the lived experiences and support needs of British Pakistanis with a family member in prison’

Although there is a considerable amount of research exploring the impact of imprisonment on prisoners’ families, there appears to be an absence of literature investigating the consequences of family imprisonment on Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) families. This is surprising considering 26% of the prison population represented BME groups as of March 2014 (Prison Reform Trust, 2014). Therefore the purpose of this thesis was to explore the impact of imprisonment on a BME group, British Pakistanis specifically. This research found there were similarities between the experiences of British Pakistani prisoner’s families and those of the wider community however the implications of these experiences can be severe and multiply existing disadvantages where British Pakistani families are concerned. British Pakistani families faced additional cultural consequences as a result of the imprisonment of a family member. In relation to the similarities between the experiences of British Pakistani families of prisoners and prisoners’ families amongst the wider population, there are commonalities in their support needs. British Pakistanis however require further support to contend with the multiple and cultural disadvantages they face.