Surviving Prison through Building Meaningful Relationships An Expert by Experience Workshop delivered by staff and service-users from Bridging the Gap, York

Introductions Kris Damien Sammy Short Amber Holmes Expert by Experience Damien Sammy Short Assistant Psychologist – Bridging the Gap Amber Holmes Therapy and Integration Lead – Bridging the Gap

Outline of Workshop 1. ‘The Bus to Hell’ 2. Living together Activity/reflections Expert by Experience talk Practitioner reflections/theory 2. Living together 3. Using time Activity/reflections Expert by Experience talk Practitioner reflections/theory 4. Getting out Health warning – be clear about the scope of the workshop and awareness of victim. We are here to have an open discussion on the experience of prison, and although it is important to hold in mind the harmful nature of offending – this workshop will mainly focus on the experience of men in prison.

The ‘Bus to Hell’ In pairs: Think of a recent occasion when you were feeling stressed. What did you want and need at this time? What helped and what didn’t? Kris and Damien’s experiences of being sentenced and arriving at prison…

Types of Sentencing Determinate Sentence Typically released on licence at mid-way point Indeterminate Public Protection (IPP) Sentence Abolished in 2012 ‘Tariff’ – minimum term spent in prison Life Sentence

Attachment Theory Attachment Theory was developed by John Bowlby (1969/82) Strategy for survival – Attachment system most active when under threat Secure – capacity for appropriate self-soothing and affiliative strategies Dismissing – downregulation of attachment system Preoccupied – upregulation of attachment system Disorganised – Attachment system can not be downregulated We all respond differently – prison is a threatening environment!

Living Together In groups: Kris and Damien’s real-life experiences… List as many ‘prison rules’ and/or myths about prison as you can. Kris and Damien’s real-life experiences…

Living Together Limited resources Anxious organisation – ‘black and white thinking’, paranoid-schizoid position (Stokoe, 2011) Attempt at gaining a sense of control and predictability in a threatening environment? Mentalisation and the threat response High levels of insecure and disorganised attachment presentations and a high incidence of personality disorder (60-67%; NOMS and NHS, 2015) Attachment in groups – secure attachment predicts affiliation to groups and empathy (e.g. Boccato and Capozza, 2011) Mention desensitisation to violence – becomes the norm – is this helpful?

The Traumatised Brain Frontal areas of the brain associated with decision making, judgement, sense of self and empathy Amygdala associated with threat response – ‘fight or flight’ Amygdala ‘hijacks’ frontal areas, making executive functioning difficult Desensitisation to threat over time Add tricky brain

Using Time What did you achieve in your 20’s? What were/are your goals for this period in your life? Kris and Damien’s real-life experiences…

The Dynamic Maturational Model Patricia Crittenden (1995) goals of attachment stage: Adulthood: establishing symmetrical and reciprocal spousal attachments and non-symmetrical attachment relationships in which the adult is the attachment figure The goal is to employ strategies to protect the self(and reproduce) within different contexts The men are likely to have a reliance on Type A and C strategies, due to adverse childhood experiences The threatening context of prison may reinforce such strategies? Understandable and functional, given the context Type B strategies – psychological balance, ‘secure’, reciprocal Type A strategies – Dismissing, self-reliant, cognitive – downregulating Type C strategies – Preoccupied, anxious, emotional - upregulating What about prison as a safe, structured environment to some? – predictable, familiar!

Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) Developed as part of the National Offender Personality Disorder Strategy (NOMS/NHS, 2015) Partnership between NHS and NOMS Part of a pathway of PIPEs, from prison to the community Has 6 main components: Enabling Environment Structured Sessions Socially Creative Activities Keyworking Clinical Supervision Staff Training and Development

Getting out Kris and Damien’s real-life experiences of getting out and adjustment… What is the impact of a long prison sentence on subsequent functioning and adjustment?

The Good Lives Model A ‘Good Life’ Ward and Mann (2004) Inner Peace Excellence in Agency Excellence in Play Relatedness Spirituality Knowledge Creativity Excellence in Work Pleasure Ward and Mann (2004) Strengths-based approach to rehabilitation We all desire the same basic ‘goods’ in life – it’s how we achieve them that is the focus of intervention

Trauma and CFT / Narrative Therapy Reducing shame with knowledge Unsticking trauma memories Replacing self-criticism with self-compassion Processing own trauma to accept own offences Different offence, different reaction

Bridging the Gap

References Boccato, G. & Capozza, D. (2011). Attachment styles and social groups: Review of a decade. Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 18, 19-30. Bowlby, J. (1969/82). Attachment and Loss. Vol. I: Attachment. New York: Basic Books. Crittenden P. M. (1995). Attachment and psychopathology. In S. Goldberg, R. Muir, & J. Kerr (Eds.) John Bowlby's attachment theory: Historical, clinical, and social significance (pp. 367-406). New York: Analytic Press. National Offender Management Service & NHS England. (2015a). The Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Strategy. https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp- content/uploads/sites/12/2016/02/opd-strategy-nov-15.pdf National Offender Management Service & NHS England. (2015b). Working with Offenders with Personality Disorder: A Practitioner’s Guide. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-with-offenders-with-personality-disorder- a-practitioners-guide Stokoe, P. (2011). The healthy and the unhealthy organisation: how can we help teams to remain effective? In A. Rubitel & D. Reiss (Eds.), Containment in the Community: Supportive Frameworks for Thinking about Antisocial Behaviour and Mental Health. London: Karnac Books Ltd. Ward, T. & Mann, R. (2004). Good lives and the rehabilitation of offenders: A positive approach to sex offender treatment. Positive psychology in practice, 598-6.