Learning from peer support schemes – can prison listeners support offenders who self-injure in custody?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the current evidence for peer support in prisons, in particular its contribution to working with prisoners who self-injure and the extent to which the success of peer support schemes such as the prison listeners, hinges upon staff’s willingness to engage with the initiative. Design/methodology/approach – The review was constructed by using primary and secondary terms to search the literature. The studies focused on peer support in custody with reference to mental health and self-injury. Searches identified papers on the prison listener scheme and staff perspectives on prison peer support, as these formed a central focus of the review. Studies were excluded from the review if the participants’ behaviours was explicitly linked to suicidal intent, as the review focused on self-injury as a coping strategy. Findings – A total of 23 studies were selected according to specific inclusion criteria (six were grey literature, 17 academic literature). Of the 23 studies ten studies focused on peer support and self-injury. Of the 23 studies the listener scheme was the focus of 15 studies, of these 15 studies self-injury and the listener scheme was a focus of eight studies. Originality/value – Evidence from the review suggests that prison peer support could be considered on a continuum depending on the different degrees of peer involvement.