Healthy prison cultures: factors influencing male prisoners' engagement in exercise and subsequent healthy behaviours.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which influence male prisoners' motivation for, and engagement in, exercise and subsequent healthy behaviours. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The first authors conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with male prisoners inside an English medium-security male prison. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, themes were identified using thematic analysis and a critical realist perspective applied to understand objective processes behind prisoners' experiences and shared meanings of exercise and engaging in healthy behaviours in prison. FINDINGS: Emerging themes indicate that in the context of healthy behaviours male prisoners aspired to a masculine ideal that was characterised by a culture of either adaptive behaviours, or maladaptive behaviours. The former fostered an adaptive exercise culture which promoted psychological well-being through an autonomy-supportive environment, consequently internalising motivation and minimising perceived barriers to engaging in healthy behaviours. Conversely, a culture of maladaptive behaviours fostered a maladaptive exercise culture which led to negative psychological well-being, underpinned by external forms of motivation which emphasised barriers to engaging in healthy behaviours. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Findings emphasise the need for prisons to promote an internal perceived locus of control for male prisoners when engaging in healthy behaviours. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The authors adopt a rare interdisciplinary approach combining a psychological theory of motivation and criminological perspectives of prison culture to understand how best to minimise the impact of prisons as an institution on the psychological well-being of male prisoners.

International consensus statement on the design, delivery and evaluation of sport-based interventions aimed at promoting social, psychological and physical well-being in prison.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an international consensus statement to advise on designing, delivering and evaluating sport-based interventions (SBIs) aimed at promoting social, psychological and physical well-being in prison. DESIGN: Modified Delphi using two rounds of survey questionnaires and two consensus workshops. PARTICIPANTS: A multidisciplinary panel of more than 40 experts from 15 international jurisdictions was formed, including representation from the following groups and stakeholders: professionals working in the justice system; officials from sport federations and organisations; academics with research experience of prisons, secure forensic mental health settings and SBIs; and policy-makers in criminal justice and sport. RESULTS: A core research team and advisory board developed the initial rationale, statement and survey. This survey produced qualitative data which was analysed thematically. The findings were presented at an in-person workshop. Panellists discussed the findings, and, using a modified nominal group technique, reached a consensus on objectives to be included in a revised statement. The core research team and advisory board revised the statement and recirculated it with a second survey. Findings from the second survey were discussed at a second, virtual, workshop. The core research team and advisory board further revised the consensus statement and recirculated it asking panellists for further comments. This iterative process resulted in seven final statement items; all participants have confirmed that they agreed with the content, objectives and recommendations of the final statement. CONCLUSIONS: The statement can be used to assist those that design, deliver and evaluate SBIs by providing guidance on: (1) minimum levels of competence for those designing and delivering SBIs; (2) the design and delivery of inclusive programmes prioritising disadvantaged groups; and (3) evaluation measures which are carefully calibrated both to capture proposed programme outcomes and to advance an understanding of the systems, processes and experiences of sport engagement in prison.

Prisoners' Educational Experiences in Five Different Prison Sports Programmes: A Research Note.

Organized sports programmes offer manifold opportunities for learning and personal development. Prisoners in organized sports programmes could profit from these educational opportunities, which could eventually support their process of reintegration into society. However, research on the educational experiences of imprisoned individuals during organized sports activities is scarce. Using quantitative survey data (N = 568 adult male prisoners) collected within the scope of the Hessian Prison Sports Study in Hesse, Germany, the present study examines educational experiences that are instigated through participation in five different prison sports programmes (fitness, racket, and team sports, running groups, and strength training). The results show that participants reported few educational experiences. The most common experiences reported were learning to exert effort and acquiring health-related knowledge. The findings reveal distinct patterns for specific sports programmes. For instance, team sports more frequently address cooperation skills and fairness. This paper advocates for more attention to the educational potential of sports in prison settings, where sports outcomes should be better aligned with the desired educational outcomes.

A scoping review of interventions to improve oral health in prison settings.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of oral health interventions implemented in prison settings and explore the barriers and facilitators towards implementation. METHODS: Following Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology, six databases were searched including Medline (R), Emcare, Embase, AMED, Cochrane and PsycINFO. A total of 978 studies were returned and screened. The inclusion criteria were those studies conducted in a prison population, with an intervention to address oral health and published since 2000. RESULTS: Ten studies published between 2008 and 2021 were included. All were conducted in high-income countries. Three intervention types were identified: health education (n = 5), teledentistry (n = 3) and screening or triaging (n = 2). The barriers and facilitators to successful implementation were grouped into a framework of four overarching concepts. These included prison environment, population makeup, compliance and staffing. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Evidence suggests that oral health interventions in prisons are focused on improving access to services and oral health messages. A range of drivers including the prison environment, staffing levels, recruitment and intervention compliance influence implementation and the success of interventions.

Developing mental health awareness and help seeking in prison: a feasibility study of the State of Mind Sport programme.

PURPOSE: The high prevalence of mental illness within the prison population necessitates innovative mental health awareness provision. This purpose of this feasibility study with 75 males (47 intervention; 28 control) was to evaluate State of Mind Sport (SOMS), originally developed as a community based mental health and well-being initiative, in a notoriously challenging prison setting. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A mixed 2 (group) × 2 (time) factorial design was adopted. Questionnaires tested for effects on knowledge of mental health, intentions to seek help, well-being and resilience. For each outcome measure, main and interaction effects (F) were determined by separate mixed factors analysis of variance. Two focus groups (N = 15) further explored feasibility and were subjected to general inductive analysis. FINDINGS: A significant group and time interaction effect were shown for mental health knowledge, F(1, 72) = 4.92, p = 0.03, ηp2 = 0.06, showing a greater post-programme improvement in mental health knowledge score for the intervention group. Focus group analysis revealed an increase in hope, coping efficacy and intentions to engage more openly with other prisoners regarding personal well-being as a result of the SOMS programme. However, fear of stigmatisation by other inmates and a general lack of trust in others remained as barriers to help-seeking. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The implications of this study, the first to evaluate a sport-based mental health intervention in prison, are that a short intervention with low costs can increase prisoner knowledge of mental health, intentions to engage in available well-being opportunities and increase a sense of hope, at least in the short term.

Producing food in English and Welsh prisons.

Most prison food research focuses on aspects of consumption rather than production yet farming, horticulture and gardening have been integral to the prison system in England and Wales for more than 170 years. This paper explores the interplay between penological, therapeutic and food priorities over the last fifty years through an examination of historical prison policies and contemporary case studies associated with the Greener on the Outside for Prisons (GOOP) programme. Findings are discussed in relation to how joined-up policy and practice can impact positively on whole population health and wellbeing within and beyond the prison setting.

"I try and make my cell a positive place": Tactics for mitigating risks to health and wellbeing in a young offender institution.

Prisons provide an important public health opportunity to improve the health of a hard-to-reach population. However, the prison as a place for health promotion requires greater attention. Using De Certeau's concept of tactics, semi-structured interviews with 35 young men who had screened as low on an anxiety and depression scale, illustrate how they stitch together discrete tactics to navigate the prison system and mitigate the risks to their health and wellbeing. These involve a process of being vigilant to the cracks in the system whilst appropriating objects and seeking out spaces of comfort. Understanding imprisonment in this nuanced approach provides greater insights into the interplay of health and place with the potential to inform context-relevant practice and policy.

Behind bars but above the bar: prisoners consider themselves more prosocial than non-prisoners.

That people evaluate themselves more favourably than their average peer on desirable characteristics - the better-than-average effect (BTAE) - is one of the most frequently cited instances of motivated self-enhancement. It has been argued, however, that the BTAE can be rational when the distribution of characteristics is skewed such that most people lie above the mean. We addressed whether the BTAE is present even among people liable to be objectively below average on such characteristics. Prisoners compared their standing on pro-social characteristics - such as kindness, morality, law abidingness - with non-prisoners. Prisoners exhibited the BTAE on every characteristic except law abidingness, for which they viewed themselves as average. Given that prisoners are unlikely to be objectively above average on pro-social characteristics, the findings push for a motivational interpretation of the BTAE.

The role of sport in promoting prisoner health.

PURPOSE: The existing evidence base and policy context of sports-based prisoner health promotion is evaluated, and an original analysis of current provision and best practice in delivering sport to address physical, mental and substance misuse needs among prisoners across the secure estate in England and Wales is presented, with a focus on the variability of provision across different prison establishments. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Inspectorate reports published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (n=184) were analysed to assess the extent to which health promotion objectives are being implemented through physical education in prisons across England and Wales. Examples of innovative sport-based health promoting programmes are drawn upon in order to illustrate principles of best practice. FINDINGS: Despite health promotion being engrained in existing policy, the degree to which physical, mental health and substance misuse needs are addressed through sport in prison remains highly variable and locally contingent across the secure estate, although examples of innovative practice are evident. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: For sport to promote prisoner health most effectively, tailored sports provision should be embedded within multi-modal interventions which draw on internal and external partnerships and promote opportunities for ongoing sporting participation. Further research is required to delineate principles of best practice applicable to discrete prisoner populations. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Sport can play a key role in addressing a multitude of prisoner health needs whilst contributing to achieving "healthy prison" objectives in practice. Sport and physical activity clearly offers a valuable way of motivating prisoners to engage in health promoting initiatives.

The possible selves of young fathers in prison.

Drawing on the social psychological concept of possible selves, this study explores the future self concept of young fathers in prison. In considering life after release from prison, qualitative data relating to hoped-for, feared and expected possible selves was generated by 34 young fathers aged between 18 and 21 years. The most common categories of hoped-for and expected selves related to employment and parenting, whereas feared selves related predominantly to offending or a return to prison. The prevalence of possible selves relating to parenting suggests that parenthood is a key component of the representations of present and future identity of young fathers in prison. Findings are discussed in relation to the positive aspect of parenthood for young men in prison, parenting identities in the transition from custody to community, future research directions and the development of interventions targeting young fathers in prison.