Recovery, turning points and forensics: views from the ward in an English high secure facility

Abstract

Purpose– The authors offer up an example of recovery in a high-secure setting. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how an individual account of recovery and the academic literature offer up related and important perspectives that have serious clinical utility.Design/methodology/approach– First the context is outlined. The biographical account is then deployed to describe the experience of being detained in an English high-secure facility using recovery as a framework for elucidation. This is often referred to in recovery as accessing the views of the “expert by experience”. In a thematic way this author details his understanding of recovery, what worked and what did not. This account is then contrasted with the academic literature and research at the same site. Social anthropology acts as the theoretical backdrop. This debate informs some clinical implications and issues for practice.Findings– Recovery can be a highly relevant concept in a high-secure context. The author found that the biographical account of the “patient” can offer the observer some insights for practice. The authors noted that the collective themes of previous research where consistent to this account. The authors found the use of recovery principles helped the person receiving care fulfil his potential. Nevertheless, forensic recovery implies a forensic past. This complicates recovery and placed limits on the own use of the principles.Social implications– The authors argue that recovery is highly relevant to the context and particularly important to people who are often stigmatized for multiple reasons including their, “illness”, their “crime”, and their social situation. The paper implies that forensic recovery is more problematic than mainstream recovery. Key events mark out issues.Originality/value– This is the first co-produced paper surrounding recovery in high-secure care.