The Inside Stories project helps prisoners to maintain relationships with their young children by creating original illustrated storybooks and CDs for them.The prisoners work together with skilled professional writers, artists and musicians to write, illustrate and record their stories. Each child receives a copy of the book his or her father has created, along with a recording on CD which allows them to hear their dad’s voice. 

Nicky Goulder is the co-founder and chief executive of the charity Create which runs The Inside Stories. She explains that children who have a parent in prison are often stigmatised and suffer bullying. This in turn triples the chances of them displaying anti-social behaviour themselves. In a government commissioned review, it was found that inmates who receive visits from members of their family are 39% less likely to re-offend than those who do not. It is hoped that developing programmes like The Inside Stories, which connects prisoners with their children, can be an effective way to reduce reoffending rates while alsohelping the children to feel more loved and secure.