Children of Prisoners: Their Situation and Role in Long-Term Crime Prevention

Studies suggest that maintaining family ties can help reduce the likelihood of reoffending, and that while parental imprisonment can increase a child’s likelihood to offend, positive responses to the situation can aid the children’s well-being, attitude and attainment. Drawing on findings from the recently completed EU-funded COPING Project on the mental health of children of prisoners, this chapter explores the factors that aid a child’s ability to cope with parental imprisonment and the actions that different stakeholders can take to support them. It identifies some of the mental health impacts at different stages of parental imprisonment, the roles played by non-imprisoned parents/carers and by schools, and suggests options for further clarifying the factors that help and hinder children of prisoners in the short and long term

Sub micromolar inhibitors of HCV generated from inactive nucleosides by application of ProTide technology [Abstract]

We report the application of our phosphoramidate ProTide technology to various 4′-substituted ribonucleoside analogues, designed as potential inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) (Fig. 1). Thus, ProTides were prepared from 4′-azidouridine (AZU), -cytidine (AZC), -adenosine (AZA) and -5-methyluridine (AZMeU), besides other 4′-substituted uridines and cytidines. In each case, ProTide families included variations in the aryl, ester, and amino acid regions. A number of compounds showed potent inhibitory properties in cell culture without detectable cytotoxicity. These results confirm that phosphoramidate ProTides can deliver monophosphates of ribonucleoside analogues and suggest a potential path to the generation of novel antiviral agents against HCV infection. Of particular note was the sub-μM potency displayed by certain ProTides of AZU; a nucleoside analogue, which was itself inactive in the assay. In some cases, we were able to separate, and separately evaluate the phosphate stereoisomers generated in the synthesis; in a few cases the absolute phosphate stereochemistry was solved (Fig. 2). The generic message is that ProTide synthesis from inactive parent nucleosides may be a warranted drug discovery strategy