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When prison is "easier": probationers' perceptions of health and wellbeing

When prison is "easier": probationers' perceptions of health and wellbeing
When prison is "easier": probationers' perceptions of health and wellbeing

Purpose: there are currently over 300,000 offenders in England and Wales and the majority, around 240,000, are in the community on probation. However, there is a paucity of research on their health and healthcare needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore issues around health and access to health services for those on probation. In particular the paper explores what people on probation consider to be the key health issues currently affecting them, and to identify barriers to accessing healthcare in the community.

Design/methodology/approach: the authors ran six focus groups with a total of 41 participants; two were with staff and the others with men and women on probation. In each focus group, the researchers used semi-structured guide and the discussions were recorded electronically and then transcribed. The paper adopted a thematic analytical framework and used NVivo 7 to facilitate analysis.

Findings: both probationers and professionals largely agreed about the key issues which included substance use and mental health problems. However, the most important issue for probationers was dealing with the stress of being on probation which was not generally recognised by professionals. All participants recognised the impact of issues such as housing, finances and employment on the wellbeing of probationers and were concerned about the lack of access to health services, in particular mental health and alcohol services.

Research limitations/implications: this was a small study conducted in one part of England and therefore it is not clear that the findings are generalisable. However, it raises important issues about the mental health needs of probationers and the lack of appropriate services for them. Effective services may have positive impact on re-offending and further research is needed to evaluate models of care.

Practical implications: the challenge remains for local health service commissioners and providers and the probation service to work together to provide appropriate and accessible services for all those on probation.

Originality/value: nearly one-quarter of a million people are on probation at any one time in the UK but the existing evidence on their health is patchy and dated. Little is known about effective health interventions or the extent to which their health needs are met. This study shows that probationers see the stress of being on probation as their most important health concern. Both probationers and staff recognise that mental health and substance use are persistent problems and that these important health needs in these areas are not being met by existing services.

Adult, Female, Focus Groups, Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Disorders/therapy, Mental Health Services/organization & administration, Middle Aged, Prisoners, Stress, Psychological/psychology, Substance-Related Disorders/therapy, United Kingdom
1744-9200
38-46
Plugge, Emma
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Ahmed Abdul Pari, Anees
77751b45-da9b-422b-ad44-19ec01882e04
Maxwell, Janet
487bd431-22b8-4a30-875a-1191778ad6cf
Holland, Sarah
f222f5c2-1f71-411c-bc66-0137a548e7ce
Plugge, Emma
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Ahmed Abdul Pari, Anees
77751b45-da9b-422b-ad44-19ec01882e04
Maxwell, Janet
487bd431-22b8-4a30-875a-1191778ad6cf
Holland, Sarah
f222f5c2-1f71-411c-bc66-0137a548e7ce

Plugge, Emma, Ahmed Abdul Pari, Anees, Maxwell, Janet and Holland, Sarah (2014) When prison is "easier": probationers' perceptions of health and wellbeing. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 10 (1), 38-46. (doi:10.1108/IJPH-01-2013-0001).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Purpose: there are currently over 300,000 offenders in England and Wales and the majority, around 240,000, are in the community on probation. However, there is a paucity of research on their health and healthcare needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore issues around health and access to health services for those on probation. In particular the paper explores what people on probation consider to be the key health issues currently affecting them, and to identify barriers to accessing healthcare in the community.

Design/methodology/approach: the authors ran six focus groups with a total of 41 participants; two were with staff and the others with men and women on probation. In each focus group, the researchers used semi-structured guide and the discussions were recorded electronically and then transcribed. The paper adopted a thematic analytical framework and used NVivo 7 to facilitate analysis.

Findings: both probationers and professionals largely agreed about the key issues which included substance use and mental health problems. However, the most important issue for probationers was dealing with the stress of being on probation which was not generally recognised by professionals. All participants recognised the impact of issues such as housing, finances and employment on the wellbeing of probationers and were concerned about the lack of access to health services, in particular mental health and alcohol services.

Research limitations/implications: this was a small study conducted in one part of England and therefore it is not clear that the findings are generalisable. However, it raises important issues about the mental health needs of probationers and the lack of appropriate services for them. Effective services may have positive impact on re-offending and further research is needed to evaluate models of care.

Practical implications: the challenge remains for local health service commissioners and providers and the probation service to work together to provide appropriate and accessible services for all those on probation.

Originality/value: nearly one-quarter of a million people are on probation at any one time in the UK but the existing evidence on their health is patchy and dated. Little is known about effective health interventions or the extent to which their health needs are met. This study shows that probationers see the stress of being on probation as their most important health concern. Both probationers and staff recognise that mental health and substance use are persistent problems and that these important health needs in these areas are not being met by existing services.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 12 March 2014
Keywords: Adult, Female, Focus Groups, Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Disorders/therapy, Mental Health Services/organization & administration, Middle Aged, Prisoners, Stress, Psychological/psychology, Substance-Related Disorders/therapy, United Kingdom

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 485331
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485331
ISSN: 1744-9200
PURE UUID: 14031fe2-280a-4137-9873-1a94b1152ab9
ORCID for Emma Plugge: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8359-0071

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Dec 2023 17:43
Last modified: 11 Jul 2024 02:06

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Contributors

Author: Emma Plugge ORCID iD
Author: Anees Ahmed Abdul Pari
Author: Janet Maxwell
Author: Sarah Holland

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