Managing returns to prison from medium-secure services: qualitative study.
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ABSTRACT: Background
Little is known about factors that influence discharge decision-making for people admitted to medium-secure services from prison, particularly for those who are returned to prison following treatment.Aims
To explore the organisational influences on care pathways through medium-secure services for those admitted from prison.Method
We recruited 24 clinicians via purposive and snowball sampling; 13 shared their experiences via a focus group, and 11 shared their experiences via individual semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted, producing three overarching themes: maintenance of throughput and service provision, class of two systems, and desirable and undesirable patients.Results
Data indicated external factors that direct and, at times, limit clinicians' pathway decisions, including commissioning criteria and legal status under the Mental Health Act 1983 and within the criminal courts system (i.e. whether on remand or sentenced). These factors also influence how clinicians view the role and function of medium-secure services within the wider forensic mental health system, and therefore the types of patients that are deemed 'appropriate' for continued treatment when making discretionary pathway decisions.Conclusions
There remains a deficit in adequate resources to meet the mental health needs of prisoners who are admitted to medium-secure services. To meet the clinical need of all admissions, criteria for prolonged treatment in medium-secure services needs to be reconsidered, and it is likely that provision for the medium-secure hospital estate will need to increase substantially if effective rehabilitation of those who transfer from prison is to take place.
SUBMITTER: Leonard SJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8220853 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundLittle is known about people who are admitted to medium secure services (MSSs) from prison, including characteristics and factors that influence clinical pathways and subsequent discharge. We recently published the first study to establish the circumstances by which MSS "prison-transfer" patients are returned to prison. Of particular concern was the finding that a quarter of prison-transfer patients were returned to prison by Responsible Medical Officers (RMOs) because they were not engaging with treatment or were deemed too "high risk" to remain detained within the services, circumstances that would be unacceptable when considering discharge via a community care pathway. It is important to further explore the characteristics of people admitted to MSSs from prison, and to investigate how these may differ for individuals who are returned to prison, as compared to those discharged into the community.Aim(a) To describe the characteristics of prison-transfers who receive an RMO directed discharge from MSSs; and (b) to compare these characteristics by discharge destination; prison return and community discharge.MethodsProspective cohort comparative study: all prison-transfer patients discharged under the instruction of their RMO over a 6-month period, from 33 NHS medium secure units across England and Wales. Data on patient demographic, clinical and legal characteristics were extracted via full patient health record review and collateral information from clinicians was also obtained. This information was used to complete The Historical, Clinical and Risk--20 items (HCR-20v3) and The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors (SAPROF). Individuals who were returned to prison were compared with those who were discharged to the community.ResultsPersons returned to prison represented a vulnerable group at time of discharge as compared to those discharged into the community and had a significantly shorter length of stay in MSSs. Over half of those returned to prison had a length of stay of <6 months. Individuals returned to prison displayed significantly more issues with psychological adjustment at time of discharge, and had a higher risk of future violence and a lower prevalence of protective factors that mitigate subsequent risks of relapse and reoffending.DiscussionMSs in England and Wales are returning vulnerable individuals to prison in lieu of adequate aftercare services. The role of and responsibilities of MSSs as regards admissions from prison needs to be reconsidered.
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Project description:BackgroundLittle is known internationally about return to prison from in-patient psychiatric services, including: circumstances leading to return, aftercare services and subsequent patient outcomes.AimsTo examine and describe: (a) circumstances leading to return to prison from medium secure services; (b) available aftercare and early outcomes of returned persons; and (c) implications for policy development.MethodProspective cohort design with all patients (n = 96) returned to prisons from 33 National Health Service (NHS) medium secure services over a 6-month period in England and Wales. Follow-up was conducted for 1 year post-remittal, across 60 prisons.ResultsLess than 20% of patients with legal entitlement to section 117 aftercare under the Mental Health Act 1983 were receiving care managed/delivered via the care programme approach. Subsequent pathways included: inter-prison transfer (30%), use of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork process (49%), referral to secure services (21%) and community release (30%). Less than half of community releases were referred to a community mental health team.ConclusionsFindings suggest that persons returned to prison are a vulnerable group of patients, many of whom require intervention (e.g. enhanced monitoring, admission to a healthcare wing, readmission to secure mental health services) on return to prison in the absence of targeted aftercare services. More robust guidance for discharge and aftercare planning procedures for persons remitted to prison should be developed to ensure that the benefits of in-patient admission are maintained and that individuals' legal rights to ongoing aftercare are upheld.
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Project description:BackgroundYoung people in secure services present with multiple vulnerabilities; therefore, transition periods are especially challenging for this group. In this study, we followed up young people discharged from adolescent medium secure services to adult and community settings with the aim to explore transition experiences and outcomes.MethodsParticipants were recruited from 15 child and adult mental health services in England. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 13 young people, aged 18-19 years, moving from adolescent medium secure units 2-6 months post-transition, and five carers 1-3 months pre-transition. Thematic analysis was performed to identify predetermined or data-driven themes elicited from face-to-face interviews.ResultsThe findings indicated poor transition outcomes for young people with the most severe mental health symptoms and those who committed serious offences. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) unsettling environmental factors within adult services; (2) experiences of transition management and preparation and (3) parental experiences of transition process and engagement with adult services.ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate that young people and carers value ongoing involvement in the transition process by well-informed parallel care. They also highlight the need for a national integrative care model that diverges from the traditional 'one-size-fits-all' approach.
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Project description:Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in people with serious mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Little evidence exists on EMDR treatment in forensic mental health, with no prior qualitative research exploring lived experience perspectives.Objective: This qualitative study recruited adult forensic mental health patients with PTSD and psychotic disorders, predominantly schizophrenia, who had received EMDR as part of a clinical trial, either in prison or in hospital. We sought to understand their experiences of EMDR therapy while receiving forensic care.Method: Ten in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken and analysed using thematic analysis. We used an inductive, realist approach, reporting the experiences, meanings, and reality of the participants.Results: Five overarching themes were identified. First, severe trauma was ubiquitous and participants felt Seriously Messed Up by their traumatic experiences, with debilitating and enduring PTSD symptoms contributing to offending and psychosis ('giving the voices something to feed on'). Second, EMDR was regarded with Early Scepticism. Third, the therapy itself was initially emotionally taxing and Not Easy but participants generally felt safe and persevered. Fourth, they were often surprised and delighted by results (And it Worked!), describing significant symptom reduction and personal transformation. Lastly, EMDR Fits the Forensic Setting, bringing empowerment in a place perceived as disempowering. People reported changes that increased their hope in a violence-free future.Conclusions: The limited research on EMDR in forensic mental health is unfortunate given how common PTSD is in mentally unwell offenders and its potential to impede recovery and contribute to further offending. This first qualitative study found participants experienced positive transformative change, extending beyond symptom reduction. Themes support previously published quantitative outcomes showing EMDR to be safe and effective in this cohort. EMDR was well suited to a forensic setting and was seen as an empowering therapy.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12618000683235.Study registration: The study was registered on the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Network, registration number ACTRN12618000683235 (registered prospectively, 24 April 2018), https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id = 374682.
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Project description:BackgroundSome forensic patients in England remain in secure care for long, possibly unnecessarily prolonged, periods, raising significant ethical and resource issues. Research focused on the patients in secure care has examined quality of life and service provision but not the perspectives of patients experiencing long stays. This study explored how long stay patients experience secure care, what factors they felt influenced long stay, and its impact upon treatment engagement and motivation to progress.MethodsEmbedded within a larger epidemiological study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of forty long stay patients from two high and six medium secure hospitals. Long stay was defined as a 5 years stay in medium secure care or 10 years in high secure care, or 15 years in a combination of high and medium secure. Transcripts were subject to thematic analysis, and narrative analysis at individual case level to explore the relationship between emergent themes.ResultsFour themes emerged illustrating participants' attribution, outlook, approach, and readiness for change. A typology of four long stay stances was developed (dynamic acceptance, dynamic resistance, static acceptance, static resistance). These illustrate differences in the extent to which participants believed being in secure care helped them to get better, and actively work towards progression and leaving secure care. There were considerable differences in how patients adopting these stances attributed the reasons for their long stay, they viewed their future, and their motivation to progress. Negative perceptions arose from excessive restrictions, treatment repetition and changes in therapeutic relationships, leading some patients to exhibiting tokenistic engagement and low motivation to progress.ConclusionsPlanning care for long stay patients in secure psychiatric settings should take account of the differing stances patient's adopt towards engagement and progression. Service providers should be mindful of these stances and provide patients with individualised opportunities to progress through the secure care treatment pathway, avoiding treatment repetition and maintaining continuity in key professional relationships. Refocusing on quality of life may be appropriate for some long-term patients who are unwilling or unable to move on. For some long-term patients, purpose designed long stay setting may be appropriate.
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Project description:ObjectiveTo explore women's experiences and perspectives of reproductive healthcare in prison.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured focus groups in 2018 with women in a provincial prison in Ontario, Canada. We asked participants about their experiences and perspectives of pregnancy and contraception related to healthcare in prison. We used a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to categorize data. A concept map was generated using a reproductive justice framework.ResultsThe data reflected three components of a reproductive justice framework: 1) women have limited access to healthcare in prison, 2) reproductive safety and dignity influence attitudes toward pregnancy and contraception, and 3) women in prison want better reproductive healthcare. Discrimination and stigma were commonly invoked throughout women's experiences in seeking reproductive healthcare.ConclusionsImproving reproductive healthcare for women in prison is crucial to promoting reproductive justice in this population. Efforts to increase access to comprehensive, responsive, and timely reproductive healthcare should be informed by the needs and desires of women in prison and should actively seek to reduce their experience of discrimination and stigma in this context.
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Project description:BackgroundCommon mental health problems are prevalent in prison and the quality of prison health care provision for prisoners with mental health problems has been a focus of critical scrutiny. Currently, health policy aims to align and integrate prison health services and practices with those of the National Health Service (NHS). Medication management is a key aspect of treatment for patients with a mental health problem. The medication practices of patients and staff are therefore a key marker of the extent to which the health practices in prison settings equate with those of the NHS. The research reported here considers the influences on medication management during the early stages of custody and the impact it has on prisoners.MethodsThe study employed a qualitative design incorporating semi-structured interviews with 39 prisoners and 71 staff at 4 prisons. Participant observation was carried out in key internal prison locations relevant to the management of vulnerable prisoners to support and inform the interview process. Thematic analysis of the interview data and interpretation of the observational field-notes were undertaken manually. Emergent themes included the impact that delays, changes to or the removal of medication have on prisoners on entry to prison, and the reasons that such events take place.Results and discussionInmates accounts suggested that psychotropic medication was found a key and valued form of support for people with mental health problems entering custody. Existing regimes of medication and the autonomy to self-medicate established in the community are disrupted and curtailed by the dominant practices and prison routines for the taking of prescribed medication. The continuity of mental health care is undermined by the removal or alteration of existing medication practice and changes on entry to prison which exacerbate prisoners' anxiety and sense of helplessness. Prisoners with a dual diagnosis are likely to be doubly vulnerable because of inconsistencies in substance withdrawal management.ConclusionChanges to medication management which accompany entry to prison appear to contribute to poor relationships with prison health staff, disrupts established self-medication practices, discourages patients from taking greater responsibility for their own conditions and detrimentally affects the mental health of many prisoners at a time when they are most vulnerable. Such practices are likely to inhibit the integration and normalisation of mental health management protocols in prison as compared with those operating in the wider community and may hinder progress towards improving the standard of mental health care available to prisoners suffering from mental disorder.
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Project description:Background and aimsThere is widespread variation in venous leg ulcer (VLU) wound care contributing to inadequate service provision resulting in poor outcomes to patients. Little has been published on the perspectives of where treatments should be carried out. The aim of the study was to quantify respondents' preferences for the preferred place of treatment for VLU.MethodsA UK general population sample was interviewed to elicit preferences for clinic or home care treatment using the willingness to pay elicitation method. Participants were presented with two vignettes describing clinic or home care of VLU, and were asked to select the treatment process that they preferred and provide a detailed explanation for selecting that choice. Then they were asked to state their maximum hypothetical amounts that they were willing to pay for the treatment processes.ResultsOne hundred fifty-four participants completed the interviews. Respondents were willing to pay £498.96 to receive VLU treatment at a clinic and £505.60 to receive care at home. This difference between the clinic compared to home care was not statistically significant. Advantages of clinic care include being able to book an appointment allowing participants to plan events around the booking and for home care the convenience for those with impaired mobility who may have difficulty traveling.ConclusionsThe results show that respondents placed an equal valuation on the place of treatment suggesting no strong preference for either home or clinic care. However, qualitative findings emphasized that impaired mobility may be a barrier to accessing VLU services for some therefore, individuals should be given the choice to select their preferred setting to receive treatment where possible.
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