The politics of austerity, imprisonment and ignorance: A case study of English prisons

COVID-19 and prisons: Providing mental health care for people in prison, minimising moral injury and psychological distress in mental health staff

“…However, such largesse seldom reaches the underfunded and overcrowded prison sector, which is already struggling as a result of austerity measures, and is an ideal environment for contagion spread. 2,3 England and Wales have a prison population of 139/ 100,000 (85/100,000, in Northern Ireland and 148/ 100,000 in Scotland) -the highest in Western Europe. 4 Two to a cell is standard, as is limited access to hygiene facilities and showers.…”

Deterioration, drift, distraction, and denial: How the politics of austerity challenges the resilience of prison health governance and delivery in England

“…Compatible with prior research [ 31 , 37 , 55 ], this study drew on the expertise of 27 of an invited 73 (38 %) national health experts with experience devising and implementing prison health policies across England, whether through the government or for non-governmental organisations. As such, they reflected a broad composition of England’s prison health terrain, political and policy elites in an ideal position to understand the impact of austerity measures.…”

Developing a clinical pathway for traumatic stress in prisons

“…However, for some, the prison environment can be counter-therapeutic, with potential issues including endemic violence and drug use, insufficient staffing, problematic access to meaningful activities, and spending lengthy periods in-cell. 20 The experience of imprisonment may, for some, be traumatising, or re-traumatising, and this can limit recovery from traumatic stress. 21 To mitigate the complex social, environmental and psychological factors that may alter outcomes, specialist trauma therapies may need to be embedded within a whole-system, trauma-informed approach.…”