Self-harm in men’s prisons: A Scoping Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A scoping study mapping current provision for men who self-harm in prison and examining stakeholder perspectives on self-harm and its treatment(PrisScope).
IRAS ID
262835
Contact name
Louise Robinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Prisons are complex and stressful environments where people are separated from the coping strategies and support that they have in the community. Self-harm in men’s prisons is becoming more prevalent and severe. There is an urgent need for interventions to prevent self-harm in men’s prisons. There is little research indicating why men in prison self-harm, which self-harm interventions men might prefer, and the effectiveness of self-harm interventions for men. Before interventions can be designed and evaluated it is important to engage with men in prison and prison staff to understand current provision, motivations for self-harm and their perspectives on self-harm interventions.
This scoping study aims to describe current interventions, process and procedures that are used with men who self-harm in prison. This will involve developing a detailed map of current services in 20% of the men’s prison estate. We will then conduct two focus groups with staff, from two different prisons, and individual interviews with men in prison who self-harm. The focus groups and interviews will be designed to examine why men self-harm in prison and the participants' perspectives on self-harm interventions. The aim of the scoping study is to develop an understanding of men’s self-harm in prisons with a view to developing interventions that can be tested for feasibility and acceptability. The scoping study will be conducted by an established team with experience of designing and evaluating prison-based self-harm interventions.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NE/0129
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion