A STEP-by-step guide to being sent to prison has been produced to help family and friends cope with separation from a loved one.

Local charity Nepacs which supports prisoners and their families has joined forces with Middlesbrough Council to provide help and information to families of people who are remanded in custody or sentenced to prison.

Information includes details of what happens after conviction from leaving the court to arriving in jail, how to book a visit and what help and support is available to families from staff in prisoner visitor centres to housing and money advice.

The booklet will be available online from the council, prison visitors’ centres, Middlesbrough Courts and in community venues in the Middlesbrough area.

Helen Attewell, Nepacs chief executive, said: “Every year thousands of families experience court proceedings and the impact of a custodial sentence despite never having being involved in or committed a crime.

“No one has to suffer alone, there are people and services available to help them and support them throughout the sentence.”

A recent report by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, and Ofsted, stated that far too little attention is being paid to the role of families in the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners.

Councillor Julia Rostron, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: “For the families and friends of those sent to prison or remanded in custody, life can suddenly be turned upside down.

“Despite having committed no offence themselves, those left behind can find themselves feeling isolated and bewildered by a system of which they have little or no understanding.”