BASELINE FOR SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION Where possible resettlement work should include helping the offender and his or her family maintain or rebuild relationships, an assessment of the support a family is able and willing to provide and, where appropriate, involvement of the family in plans for release. It is important that work on family relationships provided by the prison is integrated with work done by resettlement service providers.70 Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales (see Context below) Where possible, prisoners should be held in prisons near their families and communities, as this aids their rehabilitation and allows for longer family visits, including the possibility of home visits. Allocation close to home also makes it easier for prison administrations to prepare prisoners for release. Rule 4 of the Bangkok Rules states that women prisoners should, where possible, be allocated to prisons close to their home or place of social rehabilitation. However, due to the small numbers of female facilities in many countries, women are more likely to be located far from their families and the logistical difficulties and financial costs of prison visits can be prohibitive. As many children have to leave home when their mothers are imprisoned, it can also be very difficult for them to visit the prison and their caregivers may be reluctant to take them. Contact with the outside world is particularly important for the rehabilitation of pregnant women and those living in prison with their children. Such contact can provide them with practical and emotional support and reduce their feelings of isolation. Whilst families are key to the resettlement of many prisoners, it should also be noted that, in some cases, family members are part of the problem and may have directly contributed to criminalisation. As the Bangkok Rules make clear, ‘In view of women prisoners’ disproportionate experience of domestic violence, they shall be properly consulted as to who, including which family members, is allowed to visit them.’68 CONTEXT: The role of family and friends in rehabilitation A 2014 report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons on resettlement provision for adult offenders in England and Wales confirmed the central importance of family and friends in the successful rehabilitation of prisoners. Research carried out in eight prisons, including two women’s prisons, found that more than half of the research participants had returned home or moved in with family and friends on release. Those who had a job on release had mainly arranged this with the help of previous employers, family or friends.69 Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Guide to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women prisoners | 27