Dear Sir,

There can be no doubt that there is intense political and public interest in the nature and root causes of criminality in the 21st century. In part, this may be because of the increasing amounts of violent crime; in part, it may be a response to recent political doctrines that emphasise a government’s stance to be tough on crime.

Attention, however, is nearly always focused on the criminal, the prevention of offending and criminal rehabilitation. But most criminals do not live in isolation; they have families and dependents for whom the impact of their incarceration is possibly as great and traumatic.

Surprisingly, although there exists much global research and continuing debate regarding the impact of imprisonment on families and children, there is a very serious dearth of specific information on how parental imprisonment affects a child’s education.

Indeed, in many cases no educational support mechanisms exist. This is not necessarily a criticism of schools. In many cases, as with Bermuda, there is no formal recognition of this as a specific educational need, and there is certainly no mandatory educational process or provision.

Children are vulnerable and it is imperative that any circumstance that may affect their education, for the worse or the better, be given serious consideration and provided for where deemed necessary.

ANNA RIDGEWAY