‘Pure bonding time’: Prisoner and staff perceptions of the impact of taking part in a drama project for imprisoned men and their children

By adopting a social rather than medical model of health, it could be argued that increasing the health of an individual could also potentially be beneficial in terms of reducing reoffending and lead to better rehabilitation outcomes.

Abstract

Research has shown that prison visits have the potential to improve prisoners’ mental wellbeing, increase social support and reduce the inmate perceived stresses associated with imprisonment. Identifying effective ways to promote the health and well-being of prisoners is important because although they are not a homogeneous group, they often have unhealthy lifestyles and poorer health compared to the wider population. Fazel and Baillargeon suggest that prisoners bear a ‘substantial burden of physical and psychiatric disorders relative to the general population’. In particular, evidence suggests that prisoners experience higher rates of mental health issues including suicide. Improving the health of individuals in the criminal justice system is recognised to be a key element of the reducing reoffending and health inequalities agendas. The determinants of offending are similar to the determinants of health; poor housing, low levels of social capital, stress, substance misuse, low educational attainment. By adopting a social rather than medical model of health, it could be argued that increasing the health of an individual could also potentially be beneficial in terms of reducing re-offending and lead to better rehabilitation outcomes.