Lisa McQuarrie, Dibbya Pravas Dasgupta, Tonia Nicholls, Ruth Elwood Martin, Katherine E McLeod, Stuart Kinner, Leigh Greiner, Maureen Olley, Kate Roth, Heather Palis, Ashok Krishnamoorthy, Amanda Slaunwhite
{"title":"Correction: Evaluating the association of transferring governance of correctional health care services with overdose and all-cause mortality: a retrospective cohort study in British Columbia, Canada.","authors":"Lisa McQuarrie, Dibbya Pravas Dasgupta, Tonia Nicholls, Ruth Elwood Martin, Katherine E McLeod, Stuart Kinner, Leigh Greiner, Maureen Olley, Kate Roth, Heather Palis, Ashok Krishnamoorthy, Amanda Slaunwhite","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00459-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00459-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13613824/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chemical restraint in custody: national trends, clinical outcomes, and policy implications (2022-2025).","authors":"Luis Emilio Gomez","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00435-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00435-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chemical restraint in police-involved prehospital encounters remains a critical public health and human rights issue. Despite the formal rejection of \"excited delirium\" as a medical diagnosis by major professional organizations in 2022, sedative medications, particularly ketamine, continue to be administered in custodial settings under coercive and clinically unstable conditions. Emerging evidence from the past five years demonstrates persistent mortality risk, high rates of airway compromise, and pronounced racial inequities associated with these practices.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This manuscript synthesizes peer-reviewed clinical research, national investigative reporting, and legal analyses published between 2020 and 2025 to evaluate outcomes associated with chemical restraint during law-enforcement encounters. It further examines why the term \"excited delirium\" is clinically invalid and ethically harmful, how law enforcement presence disrupts medical decision-making in the field, and what protocol reforms are necessary to improve patient safety.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This narrative review of peer-reviewed studies, government reports, and investigative datasets addressing prehospital sedation, ketamine use, restraint-related deaths, and racial disparities calls attention to the ongoing concern. The inclusion criteria emphasized U.S.-based data, custodial or police-involved settings, and publications from within the past five years.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Evidence consistently shows that prehospital ketamine administration is associated with significantly higher intubation and respiratory complication rates than comparable emergency department use. Black individuals are disproportionately subjected to chemical restraint, often justified through racialized behavioral labels historically associated with \"excited delirium.\" Protocol fragmentation and law enforcement influence on clinical care remain central contributors to preventable harm.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Chemical restraint in custody settings represents a convergence of unsafe clinical practice and structural inequity. National protocol reform, elimination of \"excited delirium\" terminology, strengthened medical oversight, and interruption mechanisms when unsafe dosing occurs are urgently required to protect patient safety and advance health equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13589338/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149009002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nienke D Zinger, Dionne S Kringos, Robert A Verheij, Isabelle Bos, Vina N Slev
{"title":"Measuring healthcare quality in police custody: the development of quality indicators through expert consultations in the Netherlands.","authors":"Nienke D Zinger, Dionne S Kringos, Robert A Verheij, Isabelle Bos, Vina N Slev","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00415-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00415-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Improving the quality of care for people detained in police custody requires careful measurement and monitoring. However, a standardized and endorsed set of quality indicators for healthcare in police custody settings is lacking. This study aimed to develop a core set of quality indicators to monitor and evaluate police custody healthcare in the Netherlands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A four-phase modified Delphi process was conducted between February 2024 and September 2025: (1) identification of candidate quality indicators ethrough expert brainstorming; (2) rating of indicators on relevance and measurability in a self-administered questionnaire; (3) an in-person group consultation meeting to refine and prioritize the indicators; and (4) content validation of the core set by an advisory committee. A multidisciplinary pool of professionals from healthcare, police, justice, and adjacent sectors participated throughout.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Brainstorming sessions with 14 experts yielded 185 candidate indicators, which were rated by 19 experts in the questionnaire. The group consultation meeting with 15 participants refined the list, and feedback from 8 advisory committee members informed the final selection. The resulting core set comprised 15 structure, 9-12 process (7 fixed and 2-5 variable), and 17 outcome indicators, covering all key domains of police custody healthcare quality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The first evidence-based set of indicators provides a foundation for the systematic assessment and continuous learning in police custody healthcare. Routine healthcare data may serve as a valuable measurement source, though their usefulness depends on data quality, accessibility, and system readiness.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13445773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148680403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bryce Kushmerick-McCune, Danielle S Rudes, Thomas R Blue, Frank J Vocci, Michael S Gordon
{"title":"Statewide implementation of MOUD in jails: aligning barriers and strategies in the quest for acceptability and feasibility.","authors":"Bryce Kushmerick-McCune, Danielle S Rudes, Thomas R Blue, Frank J Vocci, Michael S Gordon","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00439-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-026-00439-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2019, the Maryland legislature passed a bill mandating that county jails provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to incarcerated persons. While vast scholarship points out common barriers to MOUD implementation in carceral settings, and some also depict facilitators of implementation, largely missing from these evaluative studies is a clear understanding of the process of identifying barriers and identifying ways to overcome these barriers (i.e., strategies). To address this scholarly gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with jail and community health leaders in Maryland counties in 2022 and follow-up interviews one year later, after the January 2023 compliance deadline. These leaders were participating in a Learning Collaborative as part of a larger comparative effectiveness trial comparing extended-release buprenorphine versus extended-release naltrexone. In interviews, participants focused their discussion on nine main implementation barriers and associated strategies, including: 1) staffing shortages, 2) financial barriers, 3) staff buy-in, 4) concerns of medication diversion, 5) space, 6) client buy-in, 7) intra- and extra- organizational relationships, 8) peer support, and 9) leadership. Our analysis suggests that while some barriers to MOUD implementation were mitigated through targeted strategies, others remained persistent or worsened. Notably, it appears that some important and salient challenges were ignored (or at least, not acted on) and sometimes leaders came up with strategies that were targeting non-existent (or not important and salient) challenges. Specifically, we find that while barriers including staff buy-in, client buy-in, space concerns, and fears of medication diversion lessened as strategies including staff education, client education, space accommodations, and diversion protocols increased, others, including staffing shortages, financial constraints, strained intra- and extra-organizational relationships, and leadership challenges, were particularly persistent and even intensified over time. Further, comparing barrier and strategy frequencies revealed critical mismatches, where the most frequently cited barriers (e.g., staffing and medication diversion) were met with disproportionately fewer strategies while lesser cited barriers (e.g., client buy-in) were frequently innovated on. This work identifies insights that may inform carceral-based MOUD efforts more broadly, especially as more states consider legislation mandating carceral-based MOUD.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149228861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mel Jordan, Sandra Flynn, Ellie Thompson, Deborah Buck, Claire Muller, Noor Butt, Basharat Hussain, Jenny Shaw, Darren M Ashcroft, Antony Avery, Andrew Carson-Stevens, Richard N Keers, Isobel Joy McFadzean, Tim Millar, Maria Panagioti, Verity Wainwright
{"title":"Lived experience of avoidable healthcare harm in prisons in England: a qualitative study.","authors":"Mel Jordan, Sandra Flynn, Ellie Thompson, Deborah Buck, Claire Muller, Noor Butt, Basharat Hussain, Jenny Shaw, Darren M Ashcroft, Antony Avery, Andrew Carson-Stevens, Richard N Keers, Isobel Joy McFadzean, Tim Millar, Maria Panagioti, Verity Wainwright","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00417-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-026-00417-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People in prison experience high rates of physical and mental health problems and although prison provides opportunities to improve health and wellbeing, they often experience worse health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of staff and people in prison, considering their experiences of perceived avoidable healthcare-associated harm and the factors they felt influenced prevention of harm.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Qualitative, semi-structured, interviews were conducted with 32 prison staff and commissioners and 23 people in prison across five prisons in England. Interviews were conducted between August 2022 and January 2024 and were analysed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Problems with access to timely and appropriate healthcare were commonly raised by participants in relation to issues around medication management and access to healthcare. Prison policies and practice were highlighted by participants as factors that influenced the prevention of harm; interviewees referred to the impact of staffing capacity and the skillsets of staff in terms of trauma and mental health, the impact this had on relationships between staff and people in prison, as well as challenges related to communication and coordination between teams within the prison.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Experiences of perceived avoidable healthcare-associated harm in prisons centred on medication management issues and difficulties with accessing healthcare. Recruiting and retaining skilled staff and systems lacking communication and coordination were considered important factors influential to harm prevention. A systems-based approach is needed to improve patient safety considering how integration and communication can be improved but this is needed alongside improved health literacy and interventions to increase autonomy that are led by people in prison.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149228838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jocelyn Chan, Michael Curtis, Nico Clark, Matthew Hickman, Peter Higgs, Jocelyn Jones, Michael Livingston, Lisa Maher, Brendan Quinn, Ashleigh C Stewart, Jack Stone, James Trauer, Mark Stoové, Paul Dietze
{"title":"Ten-year longitudinal study of incarceration among a community-based cohort of people who inject drugs.","authors":"Jocelyn Chan, Michael Curtis, Nico Clark, Matthew Hickman, Peter Higgs, Jocelyn Jones, Michael Livingston, Lisa Maher, Brendan Quinn, Ashleigh C Stewart, Jack Stone, James Trauer, Mark Stoové, Paul Dietze","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00440-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-026-00440-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People who inject drugs are over-represented among incarcerated populations. However, there are few studies elucidating patterns of incarceration among people who inject drugs, especially among community-based cohorts. Furthermore, data on drug use and injecting risk behaviours in carceral settings are limited globally. We aimed to describe lifetime patterns of incarceration, as well as drug use and injecting risk behaviours while incarcerated, among a cohort of people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia (SuperMIX), stratified by key demographics. Baseline and annual follow-up interviews conducted between 2008 and 2021 collected data on demographics, drug use, health service use and criminal justice system interactions from 1328 participants. We report a descriptive account of lifetime incarceration and incarceration episode characteristics (including duration and drug use). We also compared the health and social characteristics of people who inject drugs by self-reported incarceration history.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found a high prevalence of incarceration, with 67% reporting a lifetime incarceration. Prevalence of recent incarceration remained above 20% across the 10-year follow-up. Participants with a history of incarceration showed higher rates of marginalisation and over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Nearly one-fifth of incarceration episodes involved injecting drug use, with a majority (75%) of these episodes involving syringe sharing while incarcerated.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results show minimal progress in reducing incarceration rates among people who inject drugs, especially Aboriginal people. Our findings point to the urgent need for evidence-based harm reduction programs in carceral settings, as well as broader policy reform to reduce the over-incarceration of people who use drugs.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149228813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paul J Christine, Jarratt D Pytell, Alena Gabrielson, Selena Muñoz-Jones, Betsy Craft, Hayley Rotello, Ingrid A Binswanger, Katherine LeMasters
{"title":"Does a state mandate translate into jail policy? Evidence from a policy surveillance study of opioid use disorder care in Colorado jails.","authors":"Paul J Christine, Jarratt D Pytell, Alena Gabrielson, Selena Muñoz-Jones, Betsy Craft, Hayley Rotello, Ingrid A Binswanger, Katherine LeMasters","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00434-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00434-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are disproportionately represented in US jails, yet access to evidence-based treatment remains limited. In May 2022, Colorado enacted House Bill 22-1326, which mandated that all county jails provide medications of OUD (MOUD). This study sought to describe Colorado jail policies for OUD treatment after the 2022 state mandate and explore differences by county characteristics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a policy surveillance study of all Colorado jail policies, including public-facing and requested policies, for the treatment of OUD between June and October 2024. We selected the OUD Cascade of Care framework a priori to guide data abstraction and identified jail policies for MOUD availability, peer support services, harm reduction services, and linkage to community-based treatment at the time of release.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of Colorado's 46 county jails, 28 (61%) had public-facing policies and/or provided information upon request. Of the 28 policies reviewed, OUD screening (n = 20; 71%), MOUD provision (n = 19; 67%), and post-release linkage to care (n = 17; 63%) were most frequently described. Additional services included counseling (n = 16; 59%), peer support services (n = 7; 26%), and harm reduction interventions (n = 6, 22%). Urban jails generally had more policy elements than rural jails.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although MOUD is mandated in all Colorado jails, nearly two in five jails lack publicly available policies on OUD treatment and a minority of available policies indicated that all forms of MOUD were provided. Greater transparency may improve accountability and provide opportunities to support jails in implementing model policies to ensure evidence-based OUD treatment is available for all incarcerated individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13673650/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148536401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Koddebusch, Bernd Gröben, Pamela Wicker, Milan Dransmann
{"title":"\"Progressing physically and mentally\" - a qualitative investigation into perceptions of mental well-being and barriers to participation in a nine-week yoga program among older inmates in Germany.","authors":"Martin Koddebusch, Bernd Gröben, Pamela Wicker, Milan Dransmann","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00445-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00445-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study examines how a structured yoga program impacts the mental well-being of older inmates in the German correctional system and identifies barriers to participation. Older individuals in custody represent a growing yet largely overlooked subgroup in the scientific discourse, despite being disproportionately affected by the psychological and physical strains of imprisonment. To explore how yoga may support coping resources and social connectedness in this context, eight inmates (M = 63 years) completed a nine-week program and participated in qualitative interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings suggest that participants perceived meaningful improvements in mental well-being, including increased self-reflection, emotional relief, and enhanced self-efficacy. Many described reduced physical discomfort, better balance and mobility, and the integration of breathing and movement techniques into their daily routines. Socially, the program fostered connectedness by strengthening mutual support and more positive interactions within the group. Barriers to participation emerged at both intrinsic and extrinsic levels. Intrinsic barriers were primarily tied to age-related physical limitations. Extrinsic barriers resulted from institutional conditions, such as scheduling conflicts, limited availability of structured physical activity, and insufficient program continuity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, the findings suggest that yoga can serve as a valuable resource for strengthening coping capacities and social connectedness among older inmates in Germany. At the same time, the results underscore that such benefits depend on careful, needs-oriented program staging that accommodates physical limitations and institutional constraints. Given that older inmates have received minimal attention in prior research, this study highlights both the rehabilitative potential of yoga in the German correctional context and the necessity of thoughtfully adapted implementation to ensure accessibility and meaningful impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390324/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Olsson, Henrik Andersson, Ola Kronkvist, Anders Svensson
{"title":"Competencies required when police patrol officers encounter people in suicidal crisis: a Delphi study.","authors":"Martin Olsson, Henrik Andersson, Ola Kronkvist, Anders Svensson","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00442-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00442-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Suicide is a leading cause of death globally and represents a common, resource-intensive duty for police patrol officers (PPOs). Responding to suicidal crises is often traumatic, and PPOs rarely receive comprehensive training, leaving them inadequately prepared. Police authorities frequently assume operational responsibility in such situations, encompassing emotional, legal, tactical and safety considerations.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to explore and describe the competencies required of PPOs when encountering individuals in suicidal crisis.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An exploratory, descriptive design was employed using a modified Delphi technique. Descriptions provided by PPOs of encounters with individuals in suicidal crisis were used to inform the development of items for a two-round questionnaire distributed to an expert panel. Experts were defined as individuals employed by the Swedish Police Authority or a university college, with additional training and/or teaching experience related to managing suicidal crises.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 50 experts invited, 43 completed both rounds, yielding a response rate of 86%. Consensus was achieved on 50 items, categorised into knowledge (n = 14), skills (n = 22) and attitudes (n = 14).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings highlight the wide-ranging competencies required of PPOs, including policing-specific skills related to safety, interpersonal communication and psychiatric knowledge such as understanding mental disorders. Attitudinal competencies, such as demonstrating compassion and adopting a problem-solving approach, were also emphasised.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Deborah Buck, Adam O'Neill, Mark Sewell, Eybes Johnson, Noor Butt, Ryan Cowley-Sharp, Paula Harriott, Catherine Robinson, Louise Robinson, Katrina Forsyth
{"title":"Peer support for social care in prison: development of guidance and a logic model informed by mixed studies review and co-development workshops.","authors":"Deborah Buck, Adam O'Neill, Mark Sewell, Eybes Johnson, Noor Butt, Ryan Cowley-Sharp, Paula Harriott, Catherine Robinson, Louise Robinson, Katrina Forsyth","doi":"10.1186/s40352-026-00422-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40352-026-00422-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prison peer support schemes can offer social care for people who require help with activities such as self-care, fetching meals, getting around safely, taking part in meaningful activities, and/or forming or maintaining relationships. Little is known about how best to deliver and monitor prison peer support schemes. Peer supporters do not always receive appropriate training or supervision, leaving them and the support recipient vulnerable to exploitation and/or distress or harm. We conducted a mixed studies review to co-develop guidance on peer support schemes for social care in prison and developed an initial programme theory and logic model. We synthesised findings/evidence from stakeholder workshops, six of our previous projects on social care in/on release from prison, and an umbrella review of the literature. The co-developed guidance provides structure for some aspects of the peer support process while allowing for flexibility. We make recommendations about recruitment, training, roles, support plans, and supervision of and support for peer supporters themselves. Better structured/formalised processes which espouse a peer-led approach would empower peer supporters to optimise their capacity to be the \"eyes and ears on the ground\" and to become recognised, respected and valued as integral to the running of the prison. In turn, this could provide individuals with a sense of purpose, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. The correct balance between risk-management and allowing some flexibility within the peer support role needs to be determined. Our guidance will be implemented and evaluated in at least one prison and disseminated across England and Wales.</p>","PeriodicalId":37843,"journal":{"name":"Health and Justice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13673686/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148536386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}