Voices Unlocked Ep. 3 | Prison Visits, Contact & Saying Goodbye

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In episode three of Voices Unlocked, Liv and Lorna discuss prison visits and contact for children with a parent in prison, stressing that they are not therapists and encouraging listener self-care. Lorna shares UK estimates of 192,000–312,000 children affected and explains that visit experiences vary due to inconsistent policies across prisons.

Liv describes her first visit to see her mum, including long travel, visiting orders, searches, supportive staff, and the emotional difficulty of saying goodbye, as well as a negative experience on a family day and a later, colder prison with fewer child-friendly resources. She recounts being unexpectedly placed on a closed visit behind glass and the impact of not being able to hug her mum. They note improvements in family-focused visits, discuss ways to stay connected (letters, email, calls, video), suggest tools like “Missing You” boxes, and offer advice for first-time visitors, including planning self-care.

Chapters:
00:00 Podcast Safety Notice
00:29 Episode Three Kickoff
03:12 UK Stats Explained
05:02 First Visit Journey
07:32 Security And Support
09:00 Meeting Mum Inside
11:21 Goodbyes And Anxiety
15:24 Visits Getting Better
17:13 Family Day Story
21:09 Good Staff Like Nicole
23:05 Why Visits Matter
23:19 Travel And Prison Rules
26:52 Closed Visit Shock
31:18 Should Kids Visit
33:04 What Helped After Visits
34:05 Keeping The Bond
35:35 Letters And New Tech
39:52 Theatre Changing Prisons
42:48 Advice For First Timers
47:23 Self Care And Goodbye