Prisoners should be able to use iPads to Skype their families from behind bars, a Government report recommends today.

They should also be considered for temporary release at Christmas to build relationships with their children, it says.

Tory peer Lord Farmer said job descriptions for guards should include 'developing personal relationships with their prisoners', with inmates given the chance to do face painting or play table football with their children during extended visits. The multi-millionaire hedge fund boss, who was ennobled by David Cameron after he donated millions to the party, said boosting links between offenders and their families reduces the likelihood of them reoffending when they are released. But last night critics branded it soft justice. The Ministry of Justice, which commissioned the review, last night said it had already started drawing up a plan on how to implement its recommendations. Justice Secretary David Lidington said: 'Families can play a significant role in supporting an offender and I am grateful to Lord Farmer for his dedication and research on this important issue. 'We are committed to transforming prisons into places of safety and reform and we recognise the need to provide those in our care with stable environments, and opportunities to change their behaviour.'

Lord Farmer said empty prison cells should be converted into rooms where inmates whose families are unable to visit are able to have Skype calls home. Alternatively prisoners could be given access to tablet computers, such as iPads, for the video calls, he suggested. The report called for more prisoners to be given the chance of temporary release so they are able to maintain family ties and prepare for life outside near the end of their sentences. Lord Farmer wrote: 'It would enable them to attend parent-teacher evenings and other meetings at their children's school…

'It also allows families to adjust to having the person around more and is particularly beneficial for children who may feel less comfortable around their parent after a long period of separation.'

He urged prison governors to consider how temporary release could be used for special occasions such as family birthdays or Christmas when children miss their parents most.

Prisons guards should be given annual refresher courses to help them understand 'family issues' that affect inmates, with a requirement for them to build bonds with them, the report said.

'Officer job descriptions must include developing personal relationships with their prisoners.