Supporting imprisoned women who self-harm: exploring prison staff strategies
| Date | 07 November 2016 |
| Published date | 07 November 2016 |
| Pages | 173-186 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-02-2016-0007 |
| Author | Tammi Walker,Jenny Shaw,Lea Hamilton,Clive Turpin,Catherine Reid,Kathryn Abel |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Supporting imprisoned women who
self-harm: exploring prison staff strategies
Tammi Walker, Jenny Shaw, Lea Hamilton, Clive Turpin, Catherine Reid and Kathryn Abel
Tammi Walker is a Principal
Lecturer in Psychology at the
Faculty of Health Psychology
and Social Care, Manchester
Metropolitan University,
Manchester, UK.
Jenny Shaw is based at the
University of Manchester,
Manchester, UK.
Lea Hamilton is a Occupational
Therapist at the Manchester
Mental Health and Social Care
Trust, Manchester, UK.
Clive Turpin is based at
Manchester Mental Health
and Social Care Trust,
Manchester, UK.
Catherine Reid is based at the
University of Newcastle,
Newcastle, UK.
Kathryn Abel is a Professor of
Psychiatry and Psychological
Medicine at the University of
Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of prison staff working with imprisoned
women who self-harmin English prisons. In this small-scalestudy, 14 prison staff in threeEnglish prisons were
interviewed to examine the strategies currentlyused by them to support imprisoned women who self-harm.
Design/methodology/approach –Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was used to identify three
key themes: “developing a relationship”,“self-help strategies”and “relational interventions”.
Findings –Many staff expressed some dissatisfaction in the techniques available to support the women,
and felt their utility can be restricted by the prison regime.
Research limitations/implications –This study suggests that there is currently a deficit in the provision of
training and support for prison staff, who are expected to fulfil a dual role as both custodian and carer of
imprisoned women. Further research into prison staff’s perception of the training currently available could
highlight gaps between current theory and practice in the management of self-harm and thus indicate content for
future training programmes. Research exploring the impact of working with imprisoned women who self-harm is
suggested to identify strategies for supporting staff. It must be acknowledged that this is a small-scale qualitative
study and the findings are from only three prisons and may not apply to staff in other settings.
Originality/value –Currently few studies have focussed on the perspective of prison staff. This study is one
of very few studies which focusses on the techniques and resources available to support the women, from
the perspective of the prison staff.
Keywords Training, Self-harm, Suicide, Thematic analysis, Imprisoned women, Prison staff
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
It is estimated that around 20-24 per cent of imprisoned women in England and Wales self-harm
each year, compared with 5-6 per cent of male prisoners. Imprisoned women are more likely to
harm themselves repeatedly at around eight times per year; whereas imprisoned men self-harm
around twice per year on average.
In 2003, imprisoned women accounted for 46 per cent of recorded self-harm incidents in English
and Welsh prisons, but only 6 per cent of the prison population (Borrill et al., 2005). During the period
2010-2013, the number of self-harm incidents committed by women in custody dropped briefly by
50 per cent (Ministry of Justice (MoJ), 2015). This trend reversed during 2014, however, when 1,104
women self-harmed in custody, an increase of 6 per cent compared to 2013. Altogether, for the
period 2004-2014, imprisoned women accounted for 27 per cent of self-harm incidents, whist
making up only 5 per cent of the total prison population (MoJ, 2015). Research also shows that the
methods imprisoned women use to self-harm are more lethal than those used in the community.
Ward and Bailey (2011) found a relationship between incidence rates and potential lethality and from
2008 to 2009 they found an average of 3.5 incidents of self-harm per woman being reported in their
prison study with 33 per cent of those incidents being related to women tying a ligature around
Received 28 February 2016
Revised 11 April 2016
11 May 2016
Accepted 11 May 2016
Conflicts of interest: the authors
declare no conflict of interest.
The authors would like to thank
all the prison staff who participated
in the research and the prison
service for allowing us to conduct
the research.
DOI 10.1108/JCP-02-2016-0007 VOL. 6 NO. 4 2016, pp. 173-186, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
PAG E 17 3
To continue reading
Request your trial