‘We've all got a big story’: Experiences of a Trauma‐Informed Intervention in Prison
| Published date | 01 June 2021 |
| Author | MADELINE PETRILLO |
| Date | 01 June 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12408 |
The Howard Journal Vol60 No 2. June 2021 DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12408
ISSN 2059-1098, pp. 232–250
‘We’ve all got a big story’: Experiences
of a Trauma-Informed Intervention in
Prison
MADELINE PETRILLO
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Greenwich
Abstract: This article examines women’s experiences of participating in ‘Healing
Trauma’;a gender-responsive, trauma-informed intervention delivered in women’s pris-
ons in England. Victimisation and trauma are prevalent among women in the justice
system but are not perceived to be amenable to criminal justice intervention, and there
are compelling arguments that correctional environments are inappropriate settings for
trauma-informed programmes. This article analyses focus group discussions with women
who completed Healing Traumato examine the legitimacy of developing trauma-informed
practice in prisons. The women’s testimonies indicate that Healing Traumaoffers a mean-
ingful opportunity to begin to explore past victimisation that has contributed to their crim-
inalisation.
Keywords: gender-responsive; Healing Trauma; interventions; prison;
trauma-informed; women
The recent UK government’s Female Offender Strategy (Ministry of Justice
2018) echoes the Corston Report’s findings that women in the justice
system can be particularly vulnerable in both the multiplicity and com-
plexity of their needs (Corston 2007). Many lead lifestyles characterised
by multiple disadvantage including substance misuse, mental illness,
homelessness, economic deprivation and offending behaviour that are
frequently the product of histories of abuse and trauma (Ministry of
Justice 2018). The strategy contains a commitment to implementing a
trauma-informed approach to working with women in the justice system.
Since 2015, the ‘Becoming Trauma Informed’ (BTI) initiative has been
implemented across the women’s custodial estate in England. BTI seeks
to embed trauma-informed practice in prisons through staff training
and the delivery of trauma-informed interventions. However, there is
debate about the legitimacy of undertaking trauma-informed practice in
a criminal justice context (see, for example, Carlton and Segrave 2013;
Evans 2018; Player 2017).
232
C
2021 The Authors. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice published by Howard League
and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which per-
mits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The Howard Journal Vol60 No 2. June 2021
ISSN 2059-1098, pp. 232–250
Healing Trauma (Covington and Russo 2016) is a gender-responsive,
trauma-informed programme currently being delivered across the
women’s custodial estate. It comprises six, 90-minute, weekly sessions in
closed groups of up to ten women. The sessions cover an introduction to
the subject of trauma, power and abuse, the process of trauma and self-
care, adverse childhood experiences and anger, healthy relationships, and
love and endings using a multimodal approach that incorporates cognitive
behavioural therapy, relational therapy, guided imagery, emotional free-
dom technique, mindfulness and expressive arts. The programme is peer-
facilitated; specially trained Prison Officers (BTI Leads) train and super-
vise current prison residents to deliver the intervention. Women self-refer
to the programme or are invited to participate by BTI Leads. Participation
is voluntary and cannot be enforced as part of a sentence plan.
To contribute to developing research in this area, this article explores
women’s experiences of Healing Traumavia six focus groups at five prisons
involving 30 women who completed the intervention. The women’s reflec-
tions provide valuable insights into the amenability of trauma and abuse to
criminal justice intervention, and the ways in which prisons, fundamentally
harmful environments, can create space for healing.
Trauma-informed Intervention with Women in Prison
Trauma-informed interventions differ from traditional rehabilitative pro-
grammes in that they are intentionally gender-responsive (Evans 2018).
The approaches are underpinned by theories of ‘complex trauma’
(Herman 1992). Complex trauma refers to trauma that occurs repeatedly
and cumulatively over a period of time, often resulting from abuse within
the family and other intimate relationships from which the victim cannot
physically or psychologically escape (Courtois 2004; Herman 1992, 2015).
Understandings of complex trauma are rooted in feminism. The
women’s liberation movement created space for women to discuss the vio-
lence and abuse they experienced in the home and exposed the impact of
prolonged relational abuse on women’s emotional, psychological, and so-
cial development and well-being (Herman 2015). Perhaps owing to these
origins, conceptualisations of complex trauma have developed to recog-
nise that trauma responses can be induced not only by experiencing trau-
matic events, but also by non-victimisation adversity such as poverty, inter-
sectional discrimination, lone parenting and multi-generational caregiving
that disproportionately affect women (Bloom 2013; McEwen 2003).
Trauma-informed practice in women’s prisons in England is based on
Stephanie Covington and Barbara Bloom’s original work on gender spe-
cific interventions for women (Bloom and Covington 1998). Covington and
Bloom’s (2007, pp.12–14) principles of gender-responsive practice for cor-
rectional services are:
•acknowledge that gender matters in women’s experiences of offending
and the justice system;
•create a women-only environment based on safety, respect, and dignity;
233
C
2021 The Authors. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice published by Howard
League and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting