Growing health in UK prison settings.

Michelle Baybutt,Mark Dooris,Alan Farrier

doi:10.1093/heapro/day037

Michelle Baybutt, Mark Dooris + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day037

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Abstract

Globally, prisoners tend to come from marginalized and socially disadvantaged sections of the society and exhibit a high incidence of ill health, linked to social exclusion and multiple complex needs. Prisons therefore offer an important opportunity to tackle inequality and injustice, through promoting health, reducing reoffending and facilitating community reintegration.This paper reports on and critically discusses findings from an evaluative research study, which aimed to identify and explore impacts of prisoners’ participation in an innovative social and therapeutic horticultural programme, ‘Greener on the Outside for Prisons’ (GOOP), delivered in prisons in North West England. Focus groups with 16 prisoners and semi-structured interviews with six prison staff were conducted at five sites. Presented under three overarching themes (health and well-being; skills development, employability, and work preparedness; and relationships), findings suggest that engagement with and participation in GOOP were important in improving positive mental well-being, increasing physical activity and knowledge about healthier eating; developing skills and work readiness; and building relationships and catalysing and strengthening prosocial behaviours, important for good citizenship and effective resettlement. The paper concludes that – in the context of the current UK prison reform agenda and concern about the high incidence of violence, substance misuse, self-harm and suicide – prison-based horticulture can offer multiple benefits and make a significant contribution to the creation of safe, secure, supportive and health-enhancing environments. Furthermore, it contends that by joining up health and justice agendas, programmes such as GOOP have the potential to serve as powerful catalysts for wider systemic change, thereby helping tackle inequalities and social exclusion within societies across the globe.

Highlights

The prison context: exclusion, health and well-being In many Western countries, the prison population has increased over the recent years, and the capacity of prison services has not kept pace (World Health Organization [WHO] Europe, 2014)
The hands-on nature of horticulture and the nurturing process involved impacted positively and profoundly on prisoners’ well-being and enabled them to connect with their own journeys and experience of mental health challenges
As Greener on the Outside for Prisons’ (GOOP) gained recognition, there were reports of prison staff showcasing the gardens to visitors, and it was apparent that GOOP participants greatly valued and drew strength from the positive feedback they received, which clearly helped to build self-esteem and self-belief: It’s the comments that you’re getting. . .about how it’s improving and how it’s looking better each day. . .It’s just like being normal again. (Prisoner #3)

Summary

Introduction

The prison context: exclusion, health and well-being In many Western countries, the prison population has increased over the recent years, and the capacity of prison services has not kept pace (World Health Organization [WHO] Europe, 2014). Since 2000, the world prison population has grown by almost 20%, slightly above the estimated 18% increase in the world’s general population over the same period (Walmsely, 2016). This places an enormous financial burden on governments and threatens the social cohesion of societies (Penal Reform International, 2015).

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