Mental health/illness and prisons as place: Frontline clinicians׳ perspectives of mental health work in a penal setting

Finding meaningful work in difficult circumstances: A study of prison healthcare workers

“…20 Still, even in considering the abovementioned research, we located very few studies that examined the perceptions and experiences of prison health workers and even fewer that were specifically conducted in the state correctional health environment. 4,[21][22][23] For example, Garland and McCarty 4 examined sources of job satisfaction among healthcare staff in the federal prison system. The authors identified work-related, personal, and geographical correlates of overall job satisfaction.…”

“…Overwhelmingly, the authors found that work-related variables like supervision and efficacy with inmates accounted for more variance in satisfaction than did those personal variables like education. Alternatively, in Her Majesty's Prison Service in England, UK, Wright et al 22 examined frontline clinicians' perceptions of mental health work within the prison system. In this study, the authors used qualitative interview data to describe the experiences of prison mental health workers.…”

Clinician Experiences of Care Provision in the Correctional Setting: A Scoping Review

“…Finally, three were excluded because they were theoretical papers and two were excluded because they were an individual's personal narrative. The remaining 23 studies were considered eligible for inclusion in the final review (Akbari et al, 2014;Bonner, 2005;Bonner & Vandecreek, 2006;Cashin et al, 2010;Cashmore et al, 2016;Caulfield & Twort, 2012;Dennis & Leach, 2007;Doyle, 1998Doyle, , 1999Fuehrlein et al, 2014;Gallavan & Newman, 2013;Goldberg et al, 1996;Jacob, 2012Jacob, , 2014Perkins & Oser, 2014;Perry et al, 2010;Shelton et al, 2010;Smith, 1987;Stewart, 2009;Walsh, 2009;Walsh & Bee, 2012;White et al, 2014;Willmott, 1997;Wright et al, 2014). Among these publications, eight were from the United Kingdom, seven from the United States, five from Australia, two from Canada, and single publications were from Iran and France.…”

“It’s Not Like Therapy”: Patient-Inmate Perspectives on Jail Psychiatric Services

“…In relation to the perceived impact of services, providers in prisons prioritize some domains (e.g., symptom awareness and management, medication adherence, and institutional functioning) over others (e.g., emotion management, re-entry planning, or criminogenic risks and needs; Bewley & Morgan, 2011). Some acknowledge that harsh environments, institutional goals of containment, and values of obedience may conflict with therapeutic efforts to empower inmates, while impeding collaboration between correctional officers and mental health staff (des Cruser & Diamond, 1996; Kita, 2011; Nurse et al, 2003; Wright, Jordan, & Kane, 2014). Structurally, staffing limitations can hinder care continuity, critical access to clinicians in times of crises, and therapeutic relationships (Nurse et al, 2003; Wright et al, 2014).…”

“…Some acknowledge that harsh environments, institutional goals of containment, and values of obedience may conflict with therapeutic efforts to empower inmates, while impeding collaboration between correctional officers and mental health staff (des Cruser & Diamond, 1996; Kita, 2011; Nurse et al, 2003; Wright, Jordan, & Kane, 2014). Structurally, staffing limitations can hinder care continuity, critical access to clinicians in times of crises, and therapeutic relationships (Nurse et al, 2003; Wright et al, 2014). Despite these barriers, the serious needs of patient-inmates often motivate scholars and practitioners to search and advocate for the potential in correctional psychiatric services.…”