What is the Impact of Pretrial Detention? All detainees identified varying forms of social and economic impact as a result of their detention. Social stigma was the most frequently cited followed by separation of families. From an economic perspective the majority suffered a loss of income combined with additional expenses associated with the detention. Many families of detainees had to sell basic household goods and had fallen into debt because of the detention of a family member. As the majority of detainees supported a number of dependants, the immediate social and economic impacts are felt most keenly by women and children, who are forced to take on new roles, fend for the family and have to assist the detained husband or father.
What is the social impact on families and detainees? Almost half (47%) of detainees identified multiple social impacts. The most commonly identified social impact was social stigma (41%).
Contact with, and visit by, families Most detainees had been in contact with their family (89%) or had been visited by their family during their detention (88%). Failure to visit was most commonly ascribed to the family living far away (33%).
Social impact on families All detainees identified some form of social impact on their families, mostly identifying multiple impacts. The most commonly identified impact was social stigma (41%).
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