This special edition of the Prison Service Journal is dedicated to the research undertaken by participants on the Unlocked Graduates Leadership Development Programme as part of their Masters studies, and the often-forgotten voice of the Prison Officer.
The officers who authored these papers started on the landings in September 2020, as the world was still getting to grips with the COVID pandemic, whilst prisoners spent unprecedented time behind their cell door, and access to family visits, education, and other purposeful activity was either suspended or severely reduced.
All these papers were co-edited by some of the Prisons and Custody team at Leeds Trinity University – Professor Danielle McDermott, Associate Professor Claire Vilarrubi and Dr Sarah Waite, as well as Gemma Buckland, Director of Do It Justice.
In this edition
Introducing this special edition, produced with participants on the Unlocked Graduates Leadership Development Programme
The effects of carceral space on the wellbeing of prisoners
By Ayeisha Vaze
Adapting the Prison Service to ensure equality for neurodiverse prisoners
By Elizabeth Davison
A review of how the Prison Service supports female prisoners with learning disabilities
By Beth Sutherland
Improving well-being through the use of Trauma-Informed spaces
By Scarlett Thomas
A study of the perceptions, experiences and attitudes of operational prison staff towards the keyworker scheme in a young offender establishment
By Galina Ignatova
Barriers to Effective Staff Communication in a Custodial Setting
By Bethany Kendle
