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'My Daddy and the Police' Booklet Launch

This week at HMP Edinburgh saw the launch of the new “My Daddy and the Police” booklet in partnership with Police Scotland.

The booklet production follows a number of “Meet the Police” events at HMP Edinburgh. These events aimed to break down barriers between officers and the families of prisoners. The initiative won the ‘Policing Partners’ category in the first Scottish Policing Excellence Awards and has been nominated for a Butler Trust Award, which recognises good practice in the prison service.

During the ‘Meet the Police’ events, children began to ask questions about the criminal justice process. Many children felt that police had taken their parent from them, with some having witnessed their parent being detained by police. This booklet was created and informed by a focus group of prisoners who all stated that they didn’t want their experiences to reflect their children’s views of the justice system.

Speaking at the launch event were Gordon Roy Operations Manager at HMP Edinburgh, Tracey Gunn Prison Link Officer Police Scotland, Nicola Ceesey HMP Edinburgh Visitors Centre, Mark McDonald MSP Minister for Childcare & Early Years, Colin McConnell, Chief Executive SPS and Richard Thomas Superintendent Police Scotland.