Should I bring my 8 year old to visit her dad in prison.

[Missmarieb]

They had quite a good relationship, but I don’t want her thinking his just not showing up as she tells him to come over and he obviously can’t, I just hate to see her in that environment

There’s a big difference between having to visit your dad in prison, and not even knowing he’s in prison. That would be a good place to start. The rest depends on the circumstances

I wouldn’t take her but I would either tell
her where he is or make him explain that he’s otherwise unable to visit at the moment

Yes you should if she wants to see him.

How long is he in for?

I definitely agree you need to tell her he’s there and give a child friendly explanation of what’s happened and take it from there.

They do and try and make it as children friendly as possible but she will still need to be searched etc obviously so you’d need to prepare her for that and the potential of another visitor/detainee kicking off, it’s not ideal.

What is he in for and how long, I think that would impact the decision.

Depends on the prison too. I wouldn’t have taken dd to Altcourse but I did take her to Kirkham which was fine and lots of kids. She was a toddler though and didn’t know where she was.

How long will he be in there, OP? It seems as though you don't live together usually, if she thinks he's still in his own home. Are you and he still together? Does she know anything about his offence?

What is he in for? Are you waiting for him? How often did they see each other before?

How long is he in for? Does she know he’s in prison? If it’s a while and she is told age appropriately he’s in prison then I’d give her the option. Explain fully the not nice bits (being searched, rules on touching etc) and see what she thinks. The prison will also likely have a social worker or person who manages the visits for children so you can attempt to contact them to find out more about what a visit might be like.

Depends why he is in there.

I would agree it depends why he is in there. I appreciate lots of prisoners have not done anything that is detrimental to human life or makes them a danger to society/their families, and do deserve to see their children, many have made a mistake (e.g. I know someone who killed people in a car crash after a very unfortunate misjudgment).

Not great-but not the same as having indecent images of children or killing someone in a violent rage.

Whatever has happened, she needs it explaining to her in a child-appropriate way. 'Daddy made a mistake, and can't be with his family for a while, he misses you very much, but he's not in a very nice place.'

I agree it also depends on the prison and what sort of facilities there are when children visit. What sort of reputation it has.