Recent policy documents have promoted partnership working between criminal justice agencies and t... more Recent policy documents have promoted partnership working between criminal justice agencies and third sector organizations (TSOs) as a means to tackle re-offending. However, the context in which such partnership working takes place has received little attention despite the fact that relationships between frontline criminal justice staff and TSOs are likely to be crucial to successful initiatives. This article draws on qualitative interviews with prison staff and representatives from TSOs in eight prisons to examine relations between the two groups and to consider whether TSOs are treated as partners, guests or competitors in prisons.
ABSTRACT In the context of increased involvement of nonprofit organizations in criminal justice, ... more ABSTRACT In the context of increased involvement of nonprofit organizations in criminal justice, this article has two primary aims: to explore the extent of nonprofit involvement in prisoner reentry, and to capture awareness of, and engagement with, nonprofit organizations from the perspectives of those serving prison sentences. This article presents the results of a national survey (n = 680) and interview study (n = 254) carried out in England, which explored the extent of prisoners' involvement with nonprofit organizations in meeting their reentry needs. Findings are discussed in the context of the changing role of nonprofit organizations in prisoner reentry.
BackgroundMental illness is common among prisoners, but little evidence exists regarding changes ... more BackgroundMental illness is common among prisoners, but little evidence exists regarding changes in symptoms in custody over time.AimsTo investigate the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric symptoms among prisoners during early custody.MethodIn a prospective cohort study, 3079 prisoners were screened for mental illness within 3 days of reception. To establish baseline diagnoses and symptoms, 980 prisoners were interviewed; all remaining in custody were followed up 1 month and 2 months later.ResultsSymptom prevalence was highest during the first week of custody. Prevalence showed a linear decline among men and convicted prisoners, but not women or remand prisoners. It decreased among prisoners with depression, but not among prisoners with other mental illnesses.ConclusionsOverall, imprisonment did not exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, although differences in group responses were observed. Continued discussion regarding non-custodial alternatives for vulnerable groups and increased...
This project formed part of the Prison Health Research Network and was commissioned by the NHS Na... more This project formed part of the Prison Health Research Network and was commissioned by the NHS National R & D Programme on Forensic Mental Health as one of the four demonstration projects, run under the auspices of the Network. It brought together researchers from two ...
Prison mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) were introduced to provide the same range and qualit... more Prison mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) were introduced to provide the same range and quality of services to prisoners with severe and enduring mental health problems as is available to the general population (‘equivalence of care’). Drawing on a qualitative study of a MHIRT at an English prison, this chapter highlights the difficulties of striving to provide equivalent care in an anti-therapeutic environment which prioritises security and control. It argues that the team was heavily co-opted into penal governance and risk management activities and faced considerable hostility from those who saw prisoners as undeserving of care. It questions the notion of ‘healthy prisons’ and recommends that resources currently invested in the prison system be redirected into efforts to create socially just communities.
Researching in a complex-cultured space that exists to help vulnerable young people has illuminat... more Researching in a complex-cultured space that exists to help vulnerable young people has illuminated both tensions and rare insights for our research team. The project aimed to explore Ngā Kōti Rangatahi,[1] which are youth courts that take place on marae (tribal meeting places). The focus of this paper is the preliminary work spanning five years that needed to take place to ensure the protection of young people and for the research to find its place within, between and across spaces occupied by Māori,[2] the pākehā[3] legal system and both pākehā and Māori academic research conventions. The work we needed to do before we could begin the work of researching included doing the work of forming the right team, whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships), making time for kanohi kitea hui (face to face meetings) and the development of the research questions. At the same time, we attempted to walk two paths cognisant of the need of doing things the right way. One was exacting and was bas...
Interest in prisoners' families has grown considerably in recent years as the link between fa... more Interest in prisoners' families has grown considerably in recent years as the link between family support and reduced recidivism is increasingly recognized. This article explores the potential role of prisoners' families in reducing re-offending by reviewing the research literature to assess the contribution that family ties can make to effective resettlement and desistance from crime. Like other commentators, such as Farrall (2004) and Wolff and Draine (2004), the authors draw on the concept of `social capital' to provide key insights into the importance of family relationships for encouraging desistance. Potential ways to mobilize this social capital are considered and the article concludes with reflections on the likelihood of such measures being deployed by offender managers in the current penal context, and assesses whether the shift to offender management is likely to boost recognition of prisoners' family relationships.
The role of the third sector in the resettlement of offenders has become a prominent issue in rec... more The role of the third sector in the resettlement of offenders has become a prominent issue in recent years, and is increasingly recognised as being essential to efforts to reduce re-offending. A reasonable amount of knowledge already exists about public sector organisations which engage in work with offenders through the seven ‘pathways’ of resettlement: accommodation; education, employment and training; health; drugs and alcohol; finance, benefit and debt; children and families; and attitudes, thinking and behaviour. Determining the number and nature of third sector organisations involved in work with offenders is more complex. This paper aims to map out the landscape and extent of third sector involvement in the resettlement of offenders, with a specific focus on the seven pathways. Using existing datasets, it looks at the properties of third sector organisations working with offenders, more specifically their size, number, geographic area of operation and total income. It is esti...
This paper is the second in a series that investigates the involvement of the third sector in the... more This paper is the second in a series that investigates the involvement of the third sector in the resettlement of prisoners. Working paper 57 found that nearly 20,000 third sector organisations reported engagement in work with offenders through seven resettlement pathways. The current paper scopes prisoners’ experiences of these organisations by presenting key findings of an all-prisoner short survey distributed in eight prisons nationally. The findings indicate that prisons engage with an average of 20 organisations, but respondents are aware of an average of only four organisations and report engaging with no more than one. There is an apparent mismatch between the stated involvement of TSO in work with offenders in prisons and prisoners’ awareness and use of their services. The main policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed, including one proposed solution to introduce more systematically third sector co-ordinators in prisons, who could improve marketing as...
Recent policy documents have promoted partnership working between criminal justice agencies and t... more Recent policy documents have promoted partnership working between criminal justice agencies and third sector organizations (TSOs) as a means to tackle re-offending. However, the context in which such partnership working takes place has received little attention despite the fact that relationships between frontline criminal justice staff and TSOs are likely to be crucial to successful initiatives. This article draws on qualitative interviews with prison staff and representatives from TSOs in eight prisons to examine relations between the two groups and to consider whether TSOs are treated as partners, guests or competitors in prisons.
ABSTRACT In the context of increased involvement of nonprofit organizations in criminal justice, ... more ABSTRACT In the context of increased involvement of nonprofit organizations in criminal justice, this article has two primary aims: to explore the extent of nonprofit involvement in prisoner reentry, and to capture awareness of, and engagement with, nonprofit organizations from the perspectives of those serving prison sentences. This article presents the results of a national survey (n = 680) and interview study (n = 254) carried out in England, which explored the extent of prisoners' involvement with nonprofit organizations in meeting their reentry needs. Findings are discussed in the context of the changing role of nonprofit organizations in prisoner reentry.
BackgroundMental illness is common among prisoners, but little evidence exists regarding changes ... more BackgroundMental illness is common among prisoners, but little evidence exists regarding changes in symptoms in custody over time.AimsTo investigate the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric symptoms among prisoners during early custody.MethodIn a prospective cohort study, 3079 prisoners were screened for mental illness within 3 days of reception. To establish baseline diagnoses and symptoms, 980 prisoners were interviewed; all remaining in custody were followed up 1 month and 2 months later.ResultsSymptom prevalence was highest during the first week of custody. Prevalence showed a linear decline among men and convicted prisoners, but not women or remand prisoners. It decreased among prisoners with depression, but not among prisoners with other mental illnesses.ConclusionsOverall, imprisonment did not exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, although differences in group responses were observed. Continued discussion regarding non-custodial alternatives for vulnerable groups and increased...
This project formed part of the Prison Health Research Network and was commissioned by the NHS Na... more This project formed part of the Prison Health Research Network and was commissioned by the NHS National R & D Programme on Forensic Mental Health as one of the four demonstration projects, run under the auspices of the Network. It brought together researchers from two ...
Prison mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) were introduced to provide the same range and qualit... more Prison mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) were introduced to provide the same range and quality of services to prisoners with severe and enduring mental health problems as is available to the general population (‘equivalence of care’). Drawing on a qualitative study of a MHIRT at an English prison, this chapter highlights the difficulties of striving to provide equivalent care in an anti-therapeutic environment which prioritises security and control. It argues that the team was heavily co-opted into penal governance and risk management activities and faced considerable hostility from those who saw prisoners as undeserving of care. It questions the notion of ‘healthy prisons’ and recommends that resources currently invested in the prison system be redirected into efforts to create socially just communities.
Researching in a complex-cultured space that exists to help vulnerable young people has illuminat... more Researching in a complex-cultured space that exists to help vulnerable young people has illuminated both tensions and rare insights for our research team. The project aimed to explore Ngā Kōti Rangatahi,[1] which are youth courts that take place on marae (tribal meeting places). The focus of this paper is the preliminary work spanning five years that needed to take place to ensure the protection of young people and for the research to find its place within, between and across spaces occupied by Māori,[2] the pākehā[3] legal system and both pākehā and Māori academic research conventions. The work we needed to do before we could begin the work of researching included doing the work of forming the right team, whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships), making time for kanohi kitea hui (face to face meetings) and the development of the research questions. At the same time, we attempted to walk two paths cognisant of the need of doing things the right way. One was exacting and was bas...
Interest in prisoners' families has grown considerably in recent years as the link between fa... more Interest in prisoners' families has grown considerably in recent years as the link between family support and reduced recidivism is increasingly recognized. This article explores the potential role of prisoners' families in reducing re-offending by reviewing the research literature to assess the contribution that family ties can make to effective resettlement and desistance from crime. Like other commentators, such as Farrall (2004) and Wolff and Draine (2004), the authors draw on the concept of `social capital' to provide key insights into the importance of family relationships for encouraging desistance. Potential ways to mobilize this social capital are considered and the article concludes with reflections on the likelihood of such measures being deployed by offender managers in the current penal context, and assesses whether the shift to offender management is likely to boost recognition of prisoners' family relationships.
The role of the third sector in the resettlement of offenders has become a prominent issue in rec... more The role of the third sector in the resettlement of offenders has become a prominent issue in recent years, and is increasingly recognised as being essential to efforts to reduce re-offending. A reasonable amount of knowledge already exists about public sector organisations which engage in work with offenders through the seven ‘pathways’ of resettlement: accommodation; education, employment and training; health; drugs and alcohol; finance, benefit and debt; children and families; and attitudes, thinking and behaviour. Determining the number and nature of third sector organisations involved in work with offenders is more complex. This paper aims to map out the landscape and extent of third sector involvement in the resettlement of offenders, with a specific focus on the seven pathways. Using existing datasets, it looks at the properties of third sector organisations working with offenders, more specifically their size, number, geographic area of operation and total income. It is esti...
This paper is the second in a series that investigates the involvement of the third sector in the... more This paper is the second in a series that investigates the involvement of the third sector in the resettlement of prisoners. Working paper 57 found that nearly 20,000 third sector organisations reported engagement in work with offenders through seven resettlement pathways. The current paper scopes prisoners’ experiences of these organisations by presenting key findings of an all-prisoner short survey distributed in eight prisons nationally. The findings indicate that prisons engage with an average of 20 organisations, but respondents are aware of an average of only four organisations and report engaging with no more than one. There is an apparent mismatch between the stated involvement of TSO in work with offenders in prisons and prisoners’ awareness and use of their services. The main policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed, including one proposed solution to introduce more systematically third sector co-ordinators in prisons, who could improve marketing as...
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Papers by Alice Mills