I was first contacted by Sophie in early 2021 after she requested to join my Facebook group. Her partner had been jailed a few days previously for a very serious crime and she was nearing the end of her third pregnancy. She was seeking advice about the possibility of him being allowed to attend the birth and was told that due the nature of his crime that would sadly not be possible and we discussed visits with the baby and her other children. She was incredibly anxious about the whole experience of supporting her partner in prison and we chatted for a number of hours online.
Only a matter of days later I was contacted again by Sophie. Most probably due to the shock of her partner being imprisoned, she had developed pre-eclampsia and their baby had been stillborn, she was incredibly lucky to survive herself. At this time I had supported many loved ones who’s partners had died whilst in prison custody but none where a child of the family had passed away. Sophie was desperate for her partner to be able to hold his son and say goodbye. I have to be honest, at the time I had very little confidence that a release on temporary licence ROTL would be afforded then due the nature of the crime which found him jailed. It was late in the evening so nothing could be done at that time and I promised her that first thing in the morning we would start work on getting him to her bedside.
The first contact was made with the prison at 9am and calls were made by both myself and Sophie throughout the day but information granted was very limited and Sophie was beside herself with grief. She had family members supporting her but none that had any insight into prison rules or regulations or what to expect. The last call into the prison was made only a matter of minutes before her partner arrived at her side and was allowed a brief time to hold and say goodbye to their baby. In most cases where a ROTL is granted for in an emergency the loved ones are not informed that it has been approved beforehand. I had forewarned her that he would be shackled and that at least two officers would accompany him. I also advised her that any contact between them would be very limited, if any at all. They were not allowed any physical contact due to Covid restriction being enforced, at that time. She thanked me later for informing her about the restrictions and what would happen.
Whilst she was utterly devastated about her loss, she was slightly appeased by the prison’s compassion and understanding. I continued to support her during the following six weeks in the run up to the funeral both online and during hours of telephone calls. A further request for ROTL was requested for her partner to attend the funeral and I sent direct correspondence to the prison governor explaining my personal involvement and how important that it was for their family that he attend. On the day of the funeral, a short time before it took place, he was escorted into the church. They were allowed intimacy, the officers were incredibly discreet and they supported one another through one of the worst days of their lives.
I still speak with Sophie regularly and whilst she is continuing to support her now ex partner on his prison journey she has met another man and they have recently had a healthy baby girl.