A Pragmatic Study of the Impact of a Brief Mindfulness Intervention on Prisoners and Staff in a Category B Prison and Men Subject to Community-Based Probation Supervision

Abstract

Objectives: This article presents two studies assessing the impact of mindfulness in prison (prisoners and staff) and non-custodial settings. Method: Study 1—prisoners ( n = 17) and staff ( n = 15) in a UK prison completed a mindfulness program; 16 individuals acted as a single time point comparison. Data were collected using self-report, computer based and physiological measurement. Study 2—men under community probation supervision were allocated to mindfulness (completed, n = 28) or TAU ( n = 27). Data were collected using self-report mindfulness measures. Results: Study 1—statistically significant (increases in mindfulness skills (η2 p = .234 to η2 p = .388), cognitive control (η2 p = .28), and heart rate variability (SDNN; η2 p = .41) along with significant decreases in stress (η2 p = .398) were found. In study 2, the mindfulness group showed non-significant improvements in mindfulness skills. Conclusion: The findings suggest brief mindfulness interventions could make an important contribution to offender rehabilitation and custodial staff wellbeing.

Primjena kognitivne terapije usredotočene svjesnosti usmjerene na stres sa službenicima zatvorskog sustava

“…in consciously choosing more skilful responses to the discomfort experienced (Segal et al, 2013). These results are in line with the findings on better self-evaluated dimensions of mindfulness in security staff that participated in another, significantly shorter mindfulness programme (Ekman, 2015), as well as those obtained through reviewing a programme similar to ours, after which a trend of improvement in different dimensions of mindfulness was observed among prison staff which, due to a small number of participants and a more rigorous methodology, did not reach statistical significance (Davies et al, 2021).…”

“…Immediately after the course finished, the participants reported a significantly lower intensity of stress, which remained at a similar level until the end of the monitoring period. Favourable effects of a similar eight-week mindfulness programme on the intensity of stress were also found in another study involving prison staff (Davies et al, 2021), as well as in a Croatian survey involving helping professionals, in which a near-burnout level of stress had been found prior to the programme, while 66% of the participants reported a significant reduction in occupational stress and greater subjective mental and physical well-being at the end of the programme, which held during a twomonth monitoring period as well (Barbarić and Markanović, 2015).…”

“…S obzirom na to da predstavljaju relativno nov fenomen u zatvorskom okružju, trenutno nema metodološki kvalitetnih studija o njihovoj učinkovitosti (Maull i Crisp, 2018), no dosadašnji istraživački nalazi vrlo su ohrabrujući. Tako je u jednom istraživanju kod 15 zatvorskih službenika nakon sudjelovanja u osmotjednom mindfulness programu došlo do značajna poboljšanja na mjerama kognitivne kontrole, stresa i varijabilnosti srčanog ritma kao fiziološkog pokazatelja stresa (Davies, Ugwudike, Young, Hurrell i Raynor, 2021). Čini se da bi od značajne koristi mogle biti čak i kraće intervencije utemeljene na mindfulnessu.…”

“…In one study, 15 prison employees showed significant improvements in cognitive control, stress, and heart rate variability as indicators of physiological stress after participating in an eight-week mindfulness programme (Davies, Ugwudike, Young, Hurrell and Raynor, 2021).…”

Group-based mindfulness interventions in prisons: a selective critical review

“…The most used MIs within this review included pre-established MI programmes: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) (N = 4), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (N = 4), then Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MSBR) (N = 1). Additionally, Alipour et al (2023) used aromatherapy-based mindfulness; Buric et al (2023) used mindfulness meditations; Carmo et al (2022) used a combined MBCT and MSBR programme; Davies et al (2021) used a partially MBCT-related mixed-therapeutic programme, and Malouf et al (2017) used the “Re-entry Values and Mindfulness Programme” (REVAMP). All interventions included were group-based and used core mindfulness theory and practice including mindful meditation, focussed thought attention, open monitoring of thoughts and relaxation techniques (Schuman-Olivier et al , 2020).…”