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

Email us at [email protected] 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 Notice00:29 Episode Three Kickoff03:12 UK Stats Explained05:02 First Visit Journey07:32 Security And Support09:00 Meeting Mum Inside11:21 Goodbyes And Anxiety15:24 Visits Getting Better17:13 Family Day Story21:09 Good Staff Like Nicole23:05 Why Visits Matter23:19 Travel And Prison Rules26:52 Closed Visit Shock31:18 Should Kids Visit33:04 What Helped After Visits34:05 Keeping The Bond35:35 Letters And New Tech39:52 Theatre Changing Prisons42:48 Advice For First Timers47:23 Self Care And Goodbye