Purpose – Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) provide a pathway facility for offenders with complex needs, such as personality disorder; to maintain and develop the progress made on offending behaviour programmes (Ministry of Justice and Department of Health, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of prison officers who work on a PIPE in a Lifer prison. Design/methodology/approach – Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the experiences of five prison officers working on a PIPE in a Lifer prison. Findings – Main themes identified were labelled “Role Conflict”, “Growth”, “Relationships” and “Impact”. A rich and detailed account of the experience of the “voyage of discovery” and the personal challenges, costs and rewards of the PIPE work was achieved. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the small number of participants, limited focus of the researchers, both Forensic Psychologists, and the uniqueness of the context, a Lifer prison. Limitations might be addressed by future research that could expand on the current findings. Implications for future research include further exploration of the psychological impact of the work, dynamics within the PIPE and the value of attachment theory in work with personality disordered offenders. Implications for future policy and practice concern training, support and the development of new PIPEs. Originality/value – The research adds a rich account of what it is like for these prison officers to work on a PIPE in a Lifer prison. The experiences shared reveal the personal challenge, costs and rewards of the work through which ideas to develop the staff, residents and the PIPE model emerged.

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There is a clear gap in provision for violent offender with intellectual difficulties to actively address their offending behaviour as most are screened out of existing offending behaviour programmes. This is particularly important for life-sentenced prisoners who must show a reduction in risk of re-offending to secure release. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) methods to treat anger and aggressive behaviour in individuals with intellectual deficits. Research has shown reduced rates of re-conviction among individuals with intellectual difficulties with violent offending histories (Taylor, 2002). It is the responsibility of the prison service to provide equal opportunity to offenders to reduce their risk of re-offending. The literature reviewed showed empirical support to implement adapted CBT methods with violent offenders with intellectual deficits.

Objective – In this case study, an archivist and librarian teamed up to teach an introductory course on family history research for adult learners at their university’s lifelong learning centre. In response to students’ relative lack of digital skills, the instructors developed a new set of introductory skills that they believe are essential for genealogy research. Methods – Authors conducted pre- and post-course surveys to determine student expectations and the extent to which the course met those expectations. Authors coded one of these surveys. Results – Course assessment and class activities exposed the need for a set of digital skills that go beyond a literacy framework to assist family history researchers. After analyzing key themes found in pre- and post-course assessment, authors developed a new tool for genealogy instructors titled Introductory Digital Skills and Practices in Genealogy (IDSG). Conclusion – Archivist/librarian collaborations are an excellent way to cultivate needs-based teaching and outreach opportunities in our wider communities, particularly for adult learners. The Introductory Digital Skills and Practices in Genealogy tool is meant to inspire and assist other library professionals who want to teach family history research, serving as a reminder to centre teaching tangible digital skills as a focal point of instruction.