Beyond the gate: supporting the employment aspirations of offenders with mental health conditions
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/20428301211281041 |
| Date | 23 November 2012 |
| Published date | 23 November 2012 |
| Pages | 188-193 |
| Author | Graham Durcan |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Beyond the gate: supporting the
employment aspirations of offenders
with mental health conditions
Graham Durcan
Abstract
Purpose – Around 90 per cent of offenders have a mental health problem, personality disorder or
addiction, and most have two or more such problems. One of the most effective ways of preventing
reoffending and improving the life chances of an offender is through achieving and maintaining
employment, however very few people leaving prison will have employment on release fromprison. This
paper aims to focus on these issues.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes an investigationconducted by theCentre for
Mental Health into employment opportunities for offenders with mental health problems on release from
prison.
Findings – The investigation revealed that, although offenders with mental health problems are less
likely than other prisoners to be included in employment programmes, evidenced-based approaches
such as individual placement and support offer huge potential. The investigation identified five
principles for employment programmes supporting this group: employers should play an instrumental
role in creating opportunities; recruitment should be pragmatic, based on attitude and ‘‘character’ ’
rather than qualifications or health status; support should be offered to employees and their
employers/managers for as long as they need it; opportunities for ‘‘pre- employment’’ and ‘‘in work’’
skills development should be linked to real employment opportunities; and criminal justice and other
statutory agencies should facilitate effective pathways to real work and skills development.
Practical implications – Thereis aneed to develop more employment programmes for offenders with
mental health problems that incorporate evidenced-based approaches such as individual placement
and support, and a number of key principles identified in this investigation.
Originality/value – The investigation that this paper describes is the firstto consider as itsmain focus
evidence-based employment interventions for people with mental health problems leaving prison or
engaged with other parts of the criminal justice system.
Keywords Criminal justice, Offenders, Individual placement and support,
Mental health, Employment programmes, Mental illness, United Kingdom
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Being in paid employment is known to be a major factor in improving health and in reducing
reoffending. Yet the majority of prisoners and other offenders have no paid job to go to, and
most also have a history of poor mental health.
The Centre for Mental Health investigated what support is currently available within the
criminal justice system to help people into paid work and to what extent this is offered to
those with mental health conditions. We identified a paucity of effective interventions and the
widespread exclusion from vocational rehabilitation schemes of prisoners with a mental
illness (Centre for Mental Health, 2011). Nonetheless, we did find some examples of
schemes that were effective in placing offenders into paid work and that did not exclude
people on the basis of poor mental health. We examined to what extent these schemes
reflected the principles of individual placement and support (IPS), the evidence-based
PAGE 188
j
MENTAL HEALTHAND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
VOL. 16 NO. 4 2012, pp. 188-193, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 DOI 10.1108/20428301211281041
Graham Durcan is based at
the Centre for Mental
Health, London, UK.
The Centre for Mental Health is
grateful to the following for their
contribution to the research
described in this paper: Helen
Lockett, Professor Bob Grove,
Rob Fitzpatrick and the
Confluence consultancy
team, Dr Chiara Samele and
Thomas Hoare. The Centre is
also grateful for the significant
contribution of all partner
organisations to this research:
BeOnSite, St Giles Trust, HMP
Wandsworth, Brockfield House-
Essex Partnership University
NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT),
Forestry Commission, Burnley
Integrated Offender
Management Unit, and West
Yorkshire Probation. The author
is grateful to Andy Bell for his
significant contribution to
producing this paper.
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