A literature-based intervention for women prisoners: preliminary findings

Billington, J., Longden, E. and Robinson, J. (2016) A literature-based intervention for women prisoners: preliminary findings. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 12(4), pp. 230-243. (doi: 10.1108/IJPH-09-2015-0031) (PMID:27921635)

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Shared Reading (SR), a specific literature-based intervention, is transposable to a prison context and whether mental health benefits identified in other custodial and non-custodial settings were reported by women prisoners. Design/methodology/approach: In all, 35 participants were recruited within an all-female maximum security prison and attended one of two weekly reading groups. Qualitative data were collected through researcher observation of the reading groups; interviews and focus group discussions with participants and prison staff; interviews with the project worker leading the reading groups; and a review of records kept by the latter during group sessions. Findings: Attendance rates were good, with nearly half of the participants voluntarily present at =60 per cent of sessions. Two intrinsic psychological processes associated with the SR experience were provisionally identified, “memory and continuities” and “mentalisation”, both of which have therapeutic implications for the treatment of conditions like depression and personality disorder. Research limitations/implications: Limitations included the small sample, lack of control for confounding variables, and constraints imposed on data collection by the custodial setting.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Robinson, Professor Jude
• Authors: Billington, J., Longden, E., and Robinson, J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: International Journal of Prisoner Health
• Publisher: Emerald
• ISSN: 1744-9200
• ISSN (Online): 1744-9219
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Prisoner Health 12(4): 230-243
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy