Coping with the COVID Crisis in Prison
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Social Sci, Edu & Social Work
Abstract
Across the globe, prisons have emerged as epicentres of some of the largest outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, as of 4 December, there have been 232,382 COVID-19 cases and 1,565 COVID-related deaths among people incarcerated in the United States (Marshall Project, 2020). The rate of contagion in England and Wales has been lower with 1,529 cases (and 55 deaths) as of the end of October (Ministry of Justice, 13 November 2020). However, to help prevent the spread of the virus, prisoners in England and Wales have been subjected to conditions of severe lockdown, often confined to their cells for 23 hours per day, with face-to-face visits, therapy and education effectively suspended. As international research suggests that solitary confinement for periods of more than two weeks can cause lasting psychological damage (Haney, 2018), the impact of this system-wide period of extreme confinement on the well-being and mental health of prisoners is an urgent issue. Even before the onset of the COVID crisis, prisons in England and Wales have been places of high levels of social and psychological stress and trauma, with recorded rates of self-harm reaching a record high of 63,328 incidents per year in 2019. The COVID pandemic has made the situation even more problematic, however, as restrictions on access to prisons has meant that external researchers have been unable to provide an independent assessment of current conditions and experiences inside beyond official reports from prison management. In a recent Lancet commentary, Hewson and colleagues (2020, July) write: "To date, little focus has been given to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of prisoners; an area of concern given their high rates of pre-existing mental disorders, suicide, and self-harm, and the links between poor mental health, suicide, and self-harm, and reoffending behaviour" (568).
The proposed collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and the User Voice charity will utilise a participatory research design led by prisoner and former prisoner peer researchers in every phase of the research process from design through to dissemination. The User Voice Charity currently operates democratically-elected Councils in one-fifth of prisons and two-thirds of probation units across England and Wales, representing around 30,000 justice-involved people a year. QUB and User Voice will work directly with three of these Councils in a series of workshops to collaboratively design the research project to be undertaken. In these workshops, Council representatives will be trained in the basics of research methodology and will lead a broad discussion about how to engage fellow prisoners in regards to their experiences of the COVID crisis. In order to make research design a ground-up process in which Council members assume a sense of ownership, QUB researchers will primarily play a "train the trainers" role, helping to build the capacity of the User Voice team already working with the Councils. At a minimum, however, the final design for a research project will involve at least 18 focus groups across at least 9 prisons or probation areas involving at least 150 prisoners and/or released ex-prisoners, as well as a survey to be distributed to around 1350 prisoners and former prisoners across at least 9 prisons and/or probation areas. The focus group interview protocols and the survey items will be determined by the trained peer researchers in collaboration with User Voice and QUB. Anonymised qualitative and quantitative data will also be analysed collectively with the trained peer researchers from the three User Voice Councils. Peer researchers will also participate in the process of writing up and disseminating findings.
The proposed collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and the User Voice charity will utilise a participatory research design led by prisoner and former prisoner peer researchers in every phase of the research process from design through to dissemination. The User Voice Charity currently operates democratically-elected Councils in one-fifth of prisons and two-thirds of probation units across England and Wales, representing around 30,000 justice-involved people a year. QUB and User Voice will work directly with three of these Councils in a series of workshops to collaboratively design the research project to be undertaken. In these workshops, Council representatives will be trained in the basics of research methodology and will lead a broad discussion about how to engage fellow prisoners in regards to their experiences of the COVID crisis. In order to make research design a ground-up process in which Council members assume a sense of ownership, QUB researchers will primarily play a "train the trainers" role, helping to build the capacity of the User Voice team already working with the Councils. At a minimum, however, the final design for a research project will involve at least 18 focus groups across at least 9 prisons or probation areas involving at least 150 prisoners and/or released ex-prisoners, as well as a survey to be distributed to around 1350 prisoners and former prisoners across at least 9 prisons and/or probation areas. The focus group interview protocols and the survey items will be determined by the trained peer researchers in collaboration with User Voice and QUB. Anonymised qualitative and quantitative data will also be analysed collectively with the trained peer researchers from the three User Voice Councils. Peer researchers will also participate in the process of writing up and disseminating findings.
Publications
Maruna S
(2022)
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of the Prison
in Crime and Justice
Maruna, S.
(2023)
How the Covid lockdown became the 'new normal'
in Prison Service Journal
McNaull G
(2023)
Participatory Pedagogy in Prison: Participatory Action Research and Prison/University Partnerships
in Irish Probation Journal
O'connell C.
(2022)
Ireland North and South
in The Impact of Covid-19 on Prison Conditions and Penal Policy
User Voice
(2022)
COPING WITH COVID IN PRISON: THE IMPACT OF PRISONER LOCKDOWN
| Description | We have carried out the first large-scale, national study of life inside of prison during the Covid lockdown in England and Wales utilizing a participatory action research (PAR) design. The first achievement of this project has been the training of over 90 prisoner volunteers across 10 prisons in an OCN accredited (level 1) module in Peer Research Methods. Recruited after participating in one of the 22 focus groups organised across the prison service, these peer researchers were introduced to the basics of participant observation, interviewing and peer surveying. In a model for future PAR work in prison, these volunteers became the "eyes and ears" of this study, keeping field notes, doing one-on-one interviews, and collecting over 1300 completed surveys from fellow prisoners. Some of these peer researchers also took place in the data analysis process, as did a group of community-based former prisoners working with the User Voice National Council. The second achievement has been to develop the first holistic picture of life in prison during the Covid crisis in England and Wales from the perspective of the imprisoned. (see below). The third achievement has been the rapid reporting of research finding to participating prison senior management teams and to the senior strategy team around Covid recovery at the national level of HM Prison and Probation Service. As an action research project, we have sought to make the findings available to decision-makers in the individual prisons and at the national level in a timely fashion to maximise the opportunity for change on the back of the findings. We are currently informally surveying each prison to better assess this impact. The findings painted a striking portrait of the pandemic lockdown from the perspective of the imprisoned. When interviews were conducted (summer 2021), nearly 60 percent of survey respondents said they had not had a single in-person visit since the pandemic began. Eighty-five percent said they were out of their cells for an hour or less per day during the first six months. Over 80 percent said they were still out of their cells for less than two hours per day at the time of the interviews in 2021. Few agreed with the Prison Officers Association assessment that the lockdown was a "blessing in disguise." Only 1 in 5 agreed that the lockdown reduced violence and bullying. Just 8 percent agreed that "This prison is listening to the concerns of residents." Only 1 in 10 disagreed with the statement "Many people in this prison are becoming desperate and losing hope." Over two-thirds agreed that "mental health has never been worse in this prison." To confirm these assessments, we included two validated mental health measures: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) measure of depression and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) used to screen for post-traumatic stress and related conditions. These two scales are widely used as screening tools in care settings and in epidemiological surveys. They have been used extensively in studies both of the general public during the pandemic and in prison settings prior to the pandemic, thus allowing for multiple comparisons. The mean PHQ-9 score for the sample was 13.9, more than 4 times higher than the general population norm of 2.91 (Kocalevent et al. 2013). By comparison, Shevlin and colleagues (2022) found mean PH-Q scores of 5.37 and Jia and colleagues (2020) found PHQ-9 scores averaging 7.69 in recent studies of the general British public during the pandemic, For context, a score between 5-9 points indicates "mild depression," 10-14 points signifies "moderate depression," 15-19 points suggests "moderately severe depression," and 20 or more points indicates "severe depression." Nearly a third (29 percent) of our sample of British prisoners (almost 400 people) scored in the "severe" depression category. By contrast, in a large-scale prevalence study of 1,205 male prisoners in England and Wales conducted before the pandemic, Butcher and colleagues (2021) found that around 37.6 percent of their sample scored above 10 on the PHQ9 and only 20.7 percent scored over 15. The statistics on the measurement of anxiety disorder (GAD-7) are starker. Like the PHQ-9, the GAD-7 is calculated by aggregating scores on self-reported measures of symptoms such as inability to sleep and inability to control one's worries. The measure is also used for screening three other common anxiety disorders - panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD). A score of 10 or more represents the generally accepted cut-off point for identifying potential cases of anxiety disorder, with a score of 15 and above suggesting severe anxiety. The mean GAD-7 score for our sample was 10.67 compared to the population norm of 2.95. In studies of the wider British population, Shevlin and colleagues (2022) found mean GAD-7 scores of 5.15, and Jia and colleagues (2020) found GAD-7 scores of 7.69. The median score for our prison sample was 11, indicating that just over half were reporting symptoms consistent with an anxiety disorder or PTSD and over one-third (34.9 percent) were in the "severe anxiety" category of 15 and up. In a prison survey conducted in 2017, Butcher et al. (2021) found that around a third of British prisoners (31.4 percent) scored above 10 and 18 percent above 15. In our research during the lockdown, 52.5 percent scored above 10 and 34.4 percent scored over 15. These comparisons suggest a considerable deterioration in prisoners' mental health over the lockdown period: severe anxiety or PTSD nearly doubled. Although adverse mental health effects of solitary confinement are well established (Shalev 2011; Haney 2018), seeing statistics like these for a sample of over 1400 ordinary prisoners in 10 British prisons is truly striking. There were in 2021 a record 371 deaths in prison, of which 86 were self-inflicted. That is a, 28 percent increase from the previous year (HMPPS 2022). Remand prisoners accounted for 40 percent of self-inflicted deaths (Dimsdale and Saunders 2022b) despite being only 16 percent of prisoners. |
| Exploitation Route | As a participatory action research project, we have prioritised the rapid reporting of our findings back to the senior management teams of all participating prisons as these leaders are best placed to take forward the findings to implement real change. Each prison governor received an individualised report summarising our major findings and the ground-up "solutions" or recommendations generated in the research, which was followed up by a meeting between the research team and the senior management of each prison. We are now in the process of surveying the participating prison management teams to ask for their feedback on how the research findings were utilised (if they were) and whether any changes were made on the basis of these findings. We have had one powerful response from a women's prison in this regard suggesting that at least three of the recommendations generated in our research are now being implemented and giving credit to the research insights for these changes. In addition to this process, we have separately been regularly reporting our findings to the strategic Covid recovery ("Gold Command") leadership team at the national level of HM Prison and Probation Service, and have had regular access to this group at the highest administrative for the prison system. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://www.uservoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/User-Voice-QUB-Coping-with-Covid.pdf |
| Description | As a participatory action research project, we have prioritised the rapid reporting of findings to participating prisons and prison system leadership. These findings have also received widespread media coverage in outlets like the Guardian, the Daily Mail, etc, and have been widely used by activist and advocacy organisations seeking to call attention to the mental health crisis in British prisons. We are currently in the process of surveying stakeholder groups to better assess what policies and practices have been amended at participating prisons or across the entire prison service as a result of this research dissemination. These impacts will be detailed in the next report to Researchfish. |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | An example of one of may policy documents citing this work prominently |
| Geographic Reach | North America |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003374893-36/high-potential-something-good-k... |
| Description | Cited in key policy text on improving justice policy |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/display/book/9781447357490/ch011.xml |
| Description | Cited prominently in NHS/HMPPS strategy document |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Our ESRC project has elevated issues of the mental health impacts of longterm lockdown to the level of strategic planning for the OPD Pathway across the criminal justice system in the UK. |
| URL | https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-offender-personality-disorder-pathway/ |
| Description | Direct impact on decision-making by the leadership (Gold Command Team) of HM Prison and Probation Service |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Ours was the only large scale research project commissioned to explore the impact of the pandemic lockdown on prisoners across the entire prison system. HMPPS leadership take evidence very seriously, especially our data on the mental health impact on prisoners, and we were told that the recovery process (the easing of Covid restrictions) across the system were directly impacted by the results of our research. Further evidence of this policy impact will become available at the next reporting window. |
| Description | Individualised meetings with prison governors and leadership teams at each of the 10 participating prisons |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | The governor of one of the 10 participating prisons provided a report to the research team responding to each of the findings from our individualised report, demonstrating what the prison had implemented in response to each of the major findings and recommendations of our report. This response report included evidence of the impact of these changes as well from in-house research0. Follow-up data of this sort is not yet available regarding changes that were made as a direct impact of the research findings from the other participating prisons. Such evidence may be collected in time for the next period of ResearchFish reporting. |
| Description | Our ESRC research was cited prominently in a policy document from Harm Reduction International |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://hri.global/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HRI_prisons-briefing-FINAL.pdf |
| Description | Prominent citation (p. 1) of ESRC project on new legal text on segregation |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Impacted an important new legal text examining the laws around prisoner isolation and solitary confinement |
| URL | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003318071/prison-segregation-ellie-brown |
| Description | Recent systematic review cited our ESRC project as one of tiny number of genuine participatory studies in this field |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in systematic reviews |
| URL | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbm.2324?casa_token=0rECXXNib3wAAAAA%3ACxQ41rnT8MEeB... |
| Description | User Voice research collaboration |
| Organisation | User Voice |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The research team at QUB has now been working in close partnership with the User Voice organisation since December 2021. We have initiated an accredited Level 2 training course in research methods for a group of User Voice staff and volunteers to develop the organisation's research capacity. We were also involved in the recruitment and hiring of a new Director of Research for the organisation, who is working closely on the research collaboration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our User Voice partners are contributing in a far more equal way to this research project than typical relationships between university research teams and community partners. Our project is a joint co-production with responsibility shared equally across every stage of the research from conception, to design, to data collection, to analysis, and finally to dissemination and translation. |
| Impact | This project began on 22 December 2021. Outputs and outcomes will be forthcoming later in the project timeline and reported under the relevant sections of the form. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | 70 or more news outlets covered the launch of our final research report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A press release for the launch of our research project was picked up by over 70 news services and covered in each of the following outlets on 21 July 2023: 21-07-2022 MSN UK Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 The National Impact of lockdown on prisoners' mental health revealed in new research 21-07-2022 The Courier (Dundee) (Online) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Tayside and Fife Courier Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 AOL Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Belfast Telegraph Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 PA Newswire: Northern Ireland Advisory: First issued under embargo 21-07-2022 Press Association Mediapoint LOCKDOWN MEASURES 'INCREASED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG PRISONERS' - SURVEY 21-07-2022 The Press and Journal (Online) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Derry Now Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Guernsey Press and Star Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Guernsey Press Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Yahoo! Canada Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Jersey Evening Post (Online) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Jersey Evening Post Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 MailOnline Lockdown measures `increased depression and anxiety among prisoners´ - survey 21-07-2022 The Independent Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Shropshire Star Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Express & Star (West Midlands) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Express & Star (West Midlands) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 JNews.co.uk UK prisoners 'traumatized' by Covid solitary confinement, study says | Prisons and probation 21-07-2022 Yahoo! News UK & Ireland Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 ITV (Online) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 20-07-2022 Irish News Covid-19 measures 'leading to mental health crisis in prisons' 20-07-2022 ZAP AEIOU Online Pandemic. Restrictions imposed on British prisons amount to UN definition of torture 20-07-2022 News Break UK prisoners 'traumatised' by Covid solitary confinement, study says 20-07-2022 Pedfire Treatment of UK prisoners during Covid meets UN definition of torture | Prisons and probation 20-07-2022 News Break Treatment of UK prisoners during Covid meets UN definition of torture 20-07-2022 MSN UK Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 MSN New Zealand Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 Pedfire Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study | Prisons and probation 20-07-2022 MSN Ireland Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 WooDZog.com Covid solitary confinement ignited UK prisons mental health crisis, study says | Prisons and probation 20-07-2022 Knowledia Treatment of UK prisoners during Covid meets UN definition of torture 20-07-2022 Yahoo! News UK & Ireland Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 Yahoo! Style Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 Yahoo! Canada Covid solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis, says study 20-07-2022 PA Newswire: Northern Ireland Embargoed to 0001 Thursday July 21 20-07-2022 TheJournal.ie Third of UK prisoners show symptoms of 'severe anxiety disorder' due to pandemic 20-07-2022 Morning Star (Circulation : 10000) Lockdowns' devastating effects on prisoners 21-07-2022 JNews.co.uk Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns | UK News 21-07-2022 Heromag.net Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns | UK News 21-07-2022 Irish Examiner (Online) Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 News Break Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 The National Prison survey: Lockdown 'increased depression and anxiety' 21-07-2022 HEAD TOPICS Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Heromag.net UK prisoners 'traumatised' by Covid solitary confinement, study says | Prisons and probation 21-07-2022 Greatest Hits Radio Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Heart FM Gloucestershire (Online) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Heart (Online) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Gold (Online) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Star Radio Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 The Food & Drink Innovation Network (Closed October 2018) Landmark study finds Covid-19 measures leading to severe mental health crisis in prisons 21-07-2022 Irish News Landmark study finds Covid-19 measures leading to severe mental health crisis in prisons 21-07-2022 Manx Radio (Circulation : 42000) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 VIBE 107.6 Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Black Country Radio (Circulation : 40000) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 3FM (Circulation : 27000) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 More Radio (Circulation : 17000) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Gaydio Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 MK fm 106.3 Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Sunshine Radio (Online) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Island FM Breakfast - Island FM Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 JACK fm (Oxfordshire) Online Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Yahoo! News UK & Ireland Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Isle of Wight Radio Online Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Kingdom FM (Online) Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 Sky News (Online) Vast majority of prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns 21-07-2022 The Independent Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 In-House Perspective Magazine Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey 21-07-2022 Orkney News #Covid in Prison: Revealing the Dark Impact of the Pandemic 21-07-2022 Ireland-Live.ie Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-11033753/Lockdown-measures-increased-depression-anxiety... |
| Description | A Short Film (shortlisted for a Charity Sector Award): Coping with Covid in prison: the impact of the prisoner lockdown |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The research team produced a professional-quality video (shortlisted for an industry award) as a form of knowledge exchange. Youtube reports that the video has had over 1.3k views, but this is also available on multiple platforms including: https://www.uservoice.org/consultations/coping-with-covid/ https://www.iapondeathsincustody.org/news/2022/7/21/coping-with-covid-lockdown-measures-causing-a-mental-health-crisis-in-prison https://smileycharityfilmawards.com/films/coping-with-covid-in-prison-the-impact-of-the-prisoner-lockdown |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/oGdmdV56nyU |
| Description | Asian Criminological Society 12th Annual Conference Keynote Address on 18 June 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This very high-profile lecture to participants from across Asia and beyond led to an invitation months later to deliver an equally high-profile invited lecture to the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. https://unafei.or.jp/activities/pdf/Public_Lecture/Public_Lecture2022_Prof.Maruna_Slides.pdf |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://acs2020.org/speakers.html |
| Description | British Society of Criminology Conference presentation 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 60 academics attended a 60 minute paper presentation (full panel) at Britain's major conference for criminological research: "Peer research in pandemic times: PAR and 'Coping with Covid in Prison" ABSTRACT Participatory Action Research (PAR) has a long history in the social sciences but is utilised less frequently in prison research for a variety of pragmatic reasons. This paper will discuss this method and how it was modified and utilised for the ESRC funded project, 'Coping with Covid in Prisons.' User Voice peers with lived experience of prison and criminal justice co-produced this project from conception, and were partners in the design, fieldwork and analysis stages of the research. The process of co-production will be examined in detail across all of these stages, and the value of a peer-led approach outlined and explored. The project used a mixed method, qualitative-quantitative design that involved a variety of different research and analytic tools. This paper will discuss the sampling and methods used for both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the data collection, and we will review the process of co-producing the data analysis and final conclusions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://bsc2022.co.uk/programme/ |
| Description | British Society of Criminology Conference presentation 2022 findings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Conference presentation to 50 academics at the British Society of Criminology meeting: Gillian McNaull and Shadd Maruna Queen's University Belfast Coping with Covid in Prisons: Prisoner Experiences in a Time of Crisis The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented lockdown across the HMPPS prison estate, as institutions enacted Covid-responsive measures to curb the transmission of the virus. This paper outlines the findings of the ESRC funded project 'Coping with Covid in Prisons.' Unsurprisingly, this peer-led project found that people in prison suffered tremendously as a result of prolonged periods of isolation, and the simultaneous retrenchment of support, resulting in widespread deterioration of mental health, and the erosion of the rehabilitative function of imprisonment. As the paper outlines, peer support and mutual aid manifested organically during this period - the glue that enabled survival of Covid lockdowns. As the paper concludes, prison should and could harness this peer support as a central aspect of their transition to recovery. https://bsc2022.co.uk/programme/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://bsc2022.co.uk/programme/ |
| Description | Building Back Better? Implications of Covid lockdown research for the future of prisons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited to present to the Prison Seminar Series hosted by Durham University (and targeted at prisons based in the northeast of England on 17th Oct. 4-5pm online. Attendance was strong and engagement was high. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/katielouob/status/1578149397438681088 |
| Description | Conference presentation at the Stockholm |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the Stockholm Symposium on Criminology -- one of the most important international conferences in the field, where the Stockholm Prize in Criminology is awarded each year. Title: Surviving the pandemic lockdown in British prisons: A participatory action research study |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://criminologysymposium.com/download/18.146acb6517fd5578401533f/1654860190878/SCS%20program%202... |
| Description | Coping with Covid in Prison: The Impact of the Prisoner Lockdown |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Maruna and McNaull were interviewed by Prof. Phil Scraton in a prominent podcast about our research. Both of us received considerable feedback from colleagues and others who heard the episode asking for further information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://lawpod.org/podcast/coping-with-covid-in-prison-the-impact-of-the-prisoner-lockdown/ |
| Description | Coping with Covid in Prisons: The Impact of Prisoner Lockdown -- Findings from a peer-led research study |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Maruna gave a public lecture about the findings of this research at the University of Cork attended by over 60 people. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ucc.ie/en/sociology/news/coping-with-covid-in-prison-the-impact-of-prisoner-lockdownfind... |
| Description | Covid lockdowns made prisoners stressed and depressed, User Voice study finds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Very important coverage of our study in Inside Time the national newspaper for prisoners and their families in the United Kingdom. We were contacted by numerous prisoners after the coverage asking to participate in future work and User Voice actions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://insidetime.org/newsround/covid-lockdowns-made-prisoners-stressed-and-depressed-user-voice-st... |
| Description | Delivered the Annual Public Lecture on Criminal Justice Policy for the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, 8 February 2022, Kyoto, Japan, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | According to the UNAFEI organisers, this high-level keynote lecture reached "357 international participants from 41 countries, including UNAFEI alumni, criminal justice experts, government officials, university researchers, students and so on". Several of these attendees made contact following the lecture. According to the UNAFEI director, the talk "opened the eyes of criminal justice professionals around the world, and I believe your lecture gave great inspiration to the participants of this event. Your research has helped us recognize the importance of encouraging and empowering change and helping offenders take steps toward desistance. By learning from "Experts by Experience" and working alongside them, we can seek more effective approaches to promote offender rehabilitation and reintegration into society, which is also very important in reducing reoffending and building an inclusive society." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.unafei.or.jp/english/activities/lecture.html |
| Description | Eleven separate presentations to the senior management teams of the participating prisons in this research project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As an "action research" project, we have, from the start, prioritised the speedy reporting of qualitative and quantitative findings back to the leadership teams of all participating prisons. Each prison received a brief report summarising our major findings and the ground-up "solutions" or recommendations generated in the research, which was followed up by a meeting between the research team and the senior management of the prison. In all but one case, these meetings were held online. Usually, the findings suggested urgent problems at the facilities that the senior management teams were unaware of, and this feedback provoked strong, sometimes emotive reactions across the different prisons. We received three, long, careful, written responses from governors going through the points in our reports/presentations. We are now in the process of surveying the participating prison management teams to ask for their feedback on how the research findings were utilised (if they were) and whether any changes were made on the basis of these findings. We have had one powerful response from a women's prison in this regard suggesting that at least three of the recommendations generated in our research are now being implemented and giving credit to the research insights for these changes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| Description | European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control Conference Presentation, Torino Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Conference presentation at 50th Anniversary conference of one of the oldest and most important international criminology meetings |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.european-group.org/2022/02/25/eg-50th-annual-conference/ |
| Description | Exclusive Coverage of the launch of the research report in the Guardian newspaper: "UK Prisoners Traumatised by Covid Solitary Confinement, Study Says: Biggest survey of its kind finds mass solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We granted exclusive rights for the Guardian newspaper to cover the launch of our report on the project. "Biggest survey of its kind finds mass solitary confinement inflamed UK prisons mental health crisis" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/20/covid-solitary-confinement-inflamed-uk-prisons-menta... |
| Description | Further press coverage in the Guardian newspaper "Treatment of UK prisoners during Covid meets UN definition of torture" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Further to the exclusive story in the Guardian, the newspaper's prison correspondent wrote this opinion's column: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/20/treatment-of-uk-prisoners-during-covid-meets-un-definition-of-torture |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/20/treatment-of-uk-prisoners-during-covid-meets-un-defi... |
| Description | Lockdown measures 'increased depression and anxiety among prisoners' - survey |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We were interviewed by the Independent Newspaper about our ESRC project and the story appeared here https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/covid-prisons-university-ceo-england-b2127897.html |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/covid-prisons-university-ceo-england-b2127897.html |
| Description | Peer research with 1,600 people in prison reveals the fully impact of living through the pandemic inside. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Coverage of our ESRC project by Russell Webster's influential policy website covering the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.russellwebster.com/coping-with-covid-in-prison/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=soci... |
| Description | Plenary Lecture to the American Society of Criminology conference (conf attendeance > 4000) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Presidential Plenary is the largest talk at the American Society of Criminology annual meeting. This year over 4000 criminal justice experts from around the world attended the conference and well over 500 were in attendance for the Presidential Plenary. A video of the Plenary Address is also hosted on the ASC website and is widely downloaded. For his Presidential Plenary, Prof. Maruna (PI) discussed the findings from this ESRC project. The talk will be published as the lead article in the top journal in the field, Criminology (Wiley). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://asc41.org/2023-asc-annual-meeting/ |
| Description | Presentation of research design and initial findings at American Society of Criminology meeting, November, 2021, Chicago, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This first presentation of our research at a major, international academic conference sparked considerable conversation with several academics and professional researchers internationally doing similar work -- either utilising PAR methods or focusing on the impact of COVID on prisons internationally. Several new professional relationships have been forged on the back of this opening of the dialogue. Most significantly, we made contact with one of the editors of a special issue of the top-ranked journal Crime and Justice, who is now publishing the first ever article emerging from our research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asc/asc21/index.php?cmd=Online+Program+View+Paper&selected_p... |
| Description | Presentation to HM Prison and Probation Service Insights Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | HMPPS Insights supports system wide learning, drawing on data, evidence, information and experience, building on what we already know and helping to fill the gaps. The Insights Festival enable HMPPS and partners to access, share and apply insight from multiple sources and perspectives. The aim is to help the organisation to apply evidence and insights in practice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hmppsinsights22/655519 |
| Description | Prisoners kept in cells for 23 hours a day during COVID lockdowns |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Coverage of our ESRC study appeared on Sky News https://news.sky.com/story/prisoners-kept-in-cells-for-23-hours-a-day-during-covid-lockdowns-12655721 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://news.sky.com/story/prisoners-kept-in-cells-for-23-hours-a-day-during-covid-lockdowns-1265572... |
| Description | Prisoners on Prison: What We Learned When We Trained 99 Prisoners to Research Their Own Prisons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited to deliver the Inaugural Lecture for the new criminology programme at Reading University, and used the opportunity (which was recorded as a podcast, broadcast online and also to a large live audience) to discuss the latest findings from the ESRC project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.reading.ac.uk/events/Feed/2024/March/Prisoners-on-Prison |
| Description | Quarterly meetings with members of the "Covid 19 Gold Command" Unit of the HM Prison and Probation Service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | As an "action research" project, we have, from the start, prioritised the speedy reporting of qualitative and quantitative findings back to the senior leadership of HM Prison and Probation Service. We have had regular contact with and access to the Gold Command team for the Covid Response, which includes the Deputy Director for Prison Recovery and the Head of Future Regime Design for the Prison Service. We have also met with the Chief Operating Officer for Prisons as well. Our regular reports have been very positively received at this level and Gold Command members have formally recognised our contributions to their thinking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| Description | Report Launch for Coping with Covid Report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On Tuesday, 14 June, User Voice and Queen's University Belfast released the 'Coping with Covid' report https://www.uservoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/User-Voice-QUB-Coping-with-Covid.pdf To mark this launch, we held an online event where key themes and findings were presented by members of the research team - including peer researchers - followed by a panel discussion with leaders and decision-makers from across health and justice. Panel guests include: People with lived experience who were in prison during Covid-19 Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons Kate Davies, Director of Health and Justice, NHS England Mark Johnson, Founder/CEO, User Voice Shadd Maruna, Professor of Criminology, Queen's University Belfast Stephen O'Connell, Deputy Director Prison Recovery, HMPPS Vicky Robinson, Director, HMP Bronzefield When: Tuesday 14 June 2022 Time: 1.30pm - 3pm Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coping-with-covid-in-prisons-report-launch-registration-337809737017 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://icpa.org/events/upcoming-events/coping-with-covid-in-prisons-report-launch.html |
| Description | Ten accredited training workshops in Peer Research Methods across all participating prisons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | At the heart of this PAR study is the principle of peer leadership. As such, at every participating prison, we provided a two-day accredited training in research methods to a group of prisoner volunteers. Feedback from participants, collected as part of an internal evaluation, has been very positive. The outcome of these trainings has been even more impressive with each group completing as many as 350 peer surveys in addition to ethnographic observations and qualitative interviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| Description | The Covid Crisis and the 'New Normal' in British Prisons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Just over 100 people attended the Annual Lecture of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Leeds, where Prof. Shadd Maruna delivered a talk focused entirely on the outcomes of our ESRC research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/law/news/article/1727/ccjs-annual-lecture-the-covid-crisis-and-the-new-norm... |
| Description | The Impact of Covid-19 on Prisons: A User Led Perspective |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The International Public Policy Observatory (funded by UKRI) commissioned an article about our ESRC project from Dr. Gillian McNaull and Prof. Shadd Maruna for its website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://theippo.co.uk/impact-covid-19-prisons/ |
| Description | Three data analysis workshops with User Voice's National Council |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | As a PAR study, we have sought to be peer-led at every stage of this research from design to analysis. User Voice's National Council consists of formerly incarcerated volunteers, almost all of whom had spent time in prison during the Covid lockdown, and many of whom had participated in User Voice Prison Councils in their respective prisons. The National Council volunteered to take part in a series of data analysis workshops where we have solicited their help in reviewing the emerging themes from our research, discussing what might have been missed or misrepresented by these themes, and most importantly generating solutions or recommendations on the basis of these findings for improving the quality of prison life. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |