Health & Safety Considerations Health & Safety Considerations inin

Working with OffendersWorking with Offenders

Dr. Craig JacksonDr. Craig JacksonProf. Occupational Health PsychologyProf. Occupational Health Psychology

Head of PsychologyHead of PsychologyBirmingham City UniversityBirmingham City University

School of Social SciencesSchool of Social SciencesFaculty of Education, Law & Social SciencesFaculty of Education, Law & Social Sciences

Prisons within HM Prison Service are one of the most unique environments in existence

Prisons are unlike any other legislated workplace

Primary aim is to protect the public and keep prisoners in a secure, decent and humane environment

Contradiction of locked Contradiction of locked doors doors

Offenders & those working with them

Hard to preserve H&S perfectly

Many types of offender

Difficult

Both secure and non-secure settings

Many types of sentence

Offender work: physical & psychological

effects

Complexities of Prison Complexities of Prison H&SH&S

Prisons Act (1865)Prisons Act (1865)

Hard bed, board and labourHard bed, board and labour

Pointless labour as Pointless labour as punishmentpunishment

Gladstone Committee 1895Gladstone Committee 1895

Prisoners should leave as better people

Punitive labour replaced with learning a trade

Prisoners allowed to earn a wage

"Own clothes" & haircuts allowed

Shaved heads phased out

Better visiting facilities

Education and libraries in all prisons

Incentives and earned privilege schemes

Care vs. CustodyCare vs. CustodyContribute to safe & secure custody

Prepare reports in a timely manner

Comply with audit requirements

Follow procedures for prisoner applications

Apply authorised control and restraint

Encourage prisoners in offending behaviour treatment progs

Uphold respect for prisoners' rights, dignity and property

Act as personal office for groups of prisoners

Prison Lawyer

Communicator

Counsellor (various)

Teacher

Manager

Security expert

Historian

Health and Safety Advisor

Modern Prison Modern Prison OfficersOfficers

Emotional demands

Low supervisory support

Role conflict

High "client" contact

Exposure to violence & threats

Unpleasant work

Overcrowding (61%)

Restructuring (2010)

Psychosocial Psychosocial Environment Environment

Mediating factors for

high sickness absence

160 in England and Wales 11"private prisons"

Maximum securityTraining establishmentsSatellite camps

86,000 prisoners

Offenders wishing to commit violence to others and officers make total prevention impossible

Thankless task with little acknowledgement

Prisons and Prisons and YOIsYOIs

Many workers will have contact with

offenders

A. Custodial services

B. Offender management or rehab

C. Workplace experience

Variety of Variety of SentencingSentencing

Attend School

Community payback (40-300 hrs)

Completion of job training

Complete a treatment programme (anger,

drugs)

Avoid activities (pubs, football)

Curfew (electronic tag)

Residence sentence (specified, approved

premises)

Receive mental health treatment

Supervision sentence

Attendance training (18-24 yrs)

"Community" "Community" Sentencing Sentencing

Jackson Jackson 20112011

"It is important that the It is important that the prisoner is correctly assessed prisoner is correctly assessed and passed fit only for work and passed fit only for work

which is within his mental and which is within his mental and physical capacity. We have physical capacity. We have

to . . . ensure that no prisoner to . . . ensure that no prisoner suffers injury through being suffers injury through being

ordered to do unsuitable ordered to do unsuitable work."work." HK Snell 1953HK Snell 1953

Working Prisons are not Working Prisons are not new new

Work in prison is part

of rehabilitation, not

the punishment

Suitability for work

assessed upon

reception

Workshops & activity

units

WorWorkk

Textiles

Printing

Engineering

Data entry

Woodwork

Assembly

Desktop publishing

CAD

Catering

Cleaning

Building

WorkiWorkingng

Two Wood Workshops

HSE Improvement

notices in 2002 &

2003

1) Lack of COSHH

assessment for wood

dust

2) Use of Workplace

Equipment Regs

(1998)

West Mids Probation West Mids Probation ServiceService

Notices complied

with

Improvements

made

Society willing to accept unsatisfactory level of H&S for offenders

Work is NOT the punishment

Work-related illness is NOT the punishment

Post English Riots vengefulness

Social Undesirability Social Undesirability BiasBias

2001; 20,000 staff; 42 area boards

Few Health & Safety risk assessments of

work

Only ad hoc inspections

Health & Safety training minimal

Few areas with trained / competent staff

or FAs

Few Health & Safety committees

No H&S guidance for supervision of

offenders

Health & Safety Concerns: Health & Safety Concerns: NPSNPS

HSE Home Office case study

2005

N 1038 HMP staff London region

Managers, Officer grades, Admin

Domains of HSE Mgt Stds linked to

Wellbeing (OR)

Demands (3.2)

Control (3.3)

Support (manager (3.5) then peer (3.7)

Relationships (3.7)

Role (4.2)

Change (3.0)

Stress in HMP Stress in HMP "London""London"

Bevan et al

2010

Stress in HMP Stress in HMP "London""London"

Bevan et al

2010

Item on HSE toolItem on HSE tool ORORJob role uncertainty 9.8

Knowing how to get job done 6.8

Emotional support 6.5

Too much to do 6.2

Unrealistic time pressures 6.2

Different demands placed on me 6.0

College respect 5.7

Clear about departmental objectives

5.7

1% of gen. pop. have PD

50% - 75% prisoners have PD diagnosis

Current concern for public services

Vicarious Trauma in some therapists & officers

Personality Personality DisordersDisorders

Medium Secure unit for offenders

Staff concerns from...

"Desire for more meaningful contact"

"Contradictory attitude to openness"

"Feeling physically safe / emotionally

vulnerable"

"Ambivalence to structure and control"

"Emphasis on staff relationships"

Personality Disorder Personality Disorder ConcernsConcerns

Kurtz & Turner

2007

Working with sex offenders

Intrusive thoughts

Avoidance behaviours

Hyper-vigilance

Highest levels reported in secure

settings

Not related to treatment type, caseload,

or previous trauma

Vicarious Vicarious TraumaTrauma

Moulden & Firestone

2007

Vicarious Vicarious TraumaTrauma

Proactive "Talking Proactive "Talking Therapies"Therapies"Health effects of high profile murder investigationsHealth effects of high profile murder investigations

Soham murders:Soham murders:SIO Chris StevensonSIO Chris Stevenson

James Bulger murder:James Bulger murder:SIO Albert KirkbySIO Albert Kirkby

Ipswich ripper murders:Ipswich ripper murders:SIO Roy LambertSIO Roy Lambert

Cromwell Street murders:Cromwell Street murders:SIO John BennettSIO John Bennett

Team of 47 detectivesTeam of 47 detectives

Proactive "Stress Counselling”Proactive "Stress Counselling”

Some accepted – others did notSome accepted – others did not

Upon retirement . . .Upon retirement . . .

Severe FatigueSevere Fatigue

NOT Chronic FatigueNOT Chronic FatigueSyndromeSyndrome

Inability to function Inability to function physically & mentallyphysically & mentally

3% prevalence across working population3% prevalence across working population

"Burnout" - severe fatigue response to chronic stress"Burnout" - severe fatigue response to chronic stress

Occurs more in psychologically "vulnerable" Occurs more in psychologically "vulnerable" staff . . staff . . . . . . . Working in conditions they find stressful.. . . . . Working in conditions they find stressful.

Unusual Tribunal CasesUnusual Tribunal Cases

Tail-Wagg-Dog AtmosphereTail-Wagg-Dog Atmosphere

RevengeUnintentionalDelusionErotic pleasurePyromania-fetishInstitutionalised Crime concealmentExcitement

Fire Fire startingstarting

Lewis & Yarnell 1951; Incardi 1970; Prins 1985; Rix 1994

Attention-seekingMental disorderPoliticalTerrorismSelf-immolation Attempted suicideFinancialVandalism

FireFire

FireFire

11 deaths from cell fires in the 1980s 3 deaths in 1990s 5 deaths in 2000s

121% increase in assaults on female prison officers since 2000

From 232 assaults to 513

58% increase in attacks on male officers

From 1,767 in 2000 to 2,804 in 2006

ViolenViolencece

ViolenViolencece

24 prisoner deaths in the prison estate of England & Wales in January 2012

Most natural causes

11 of these were suicidal deaths

Many more attempted it but were not successful

SuicidSuicidee

Suicide-prevention training for prison officers

"Arming" officers with cutting tools at all times

Fostering an attitude of duty of care in the officers

Prisons are suicidogenic environments

Isolation, stress, & bleakness create a suicide-space

Prisoners listeners of limited value

Samaritans phones in HMP Woodhill broken

Suicide-Prevention is Suicide-Prevention is ineffectiveineffective

RIASEC Model

"Conventional""Conventional" OrganiserOrganiser

"Investigative""Investigative" ThinkerThinker

"Enterprising""Enterprising" PersuaderPersuader

"Artistic”"Artistic”CreatorCreator

HollandHolland 1997 1997

Relates to both Relates to both PERSONALITYPERSONALITY and and ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT

"Social""Social" HelperHelper

"Realistic""Realistic"DoerDoer

"Realistics"

Practical individualsPractical individuals

ConformistConformist

OrderedOrdered

Prefer objects and toolsPrefer objects and tools

Not keen on concepts or abstracts Not keen on concepts or abstracts

Heuristics-drivenHeuristics-driven

Mechanic, Labourer, Driver Mechanic, Labourer, Driver

RIASEC Model HollandHolland 1997 1997

Relates to both Relates to both PERSONALITYPERSONALITY and and ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT

"Conventional""Conventional" OrganiserOrganiser

"Investigative""Investigative" ThinkerThinker

"Enterprising""Enterprising" PersuaderPersuader

"Artistic”"Artistic”CreatorCreator

"Social""Social" HelperHelper

"Realistic""Realistic"DoerDoer

ideasideas

datadata

peoplepeople

thingsthings

Prediger's dimensionsPrediger's dimensions

SummarSummary y Prisons have gone through many dramatic shifts, and will continue to do so

Prison officers subjected to usual job stressors, AND unique issues caused by the nature of work

Health and well being adversely affected by the work and change

Psychosocial thinking & mapping for future officers in selection and training