ENRICHER – involvEment iN the cRiminal justice system & the ImpaCt on women’s Health dorsEt & hampshiRe
Chief Investigator
Professor in Public Health
Head of School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine
University of Southampton, South Academic Block,
Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road,
Associate Professor in Public Health
School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine
University of Southampton,
Co-Investigators
Dr Donna Arrondelle, Research Fellow, University of Southampton
Dr Naomi Gadian, Public Health Specialist Registrar, University of Southampton
Donna Gipson, Director EP:IC Consultants Ltd, West Malling, Kent
Dr James Hall, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Southampton
Paula Harriott, Head of Prison Engagement, Prison Reform Trust
Professor Kathleen Kendall, Professorial Fellow of Sociology as Applied to Medicine, University of Southampton
Dr Sara Morgan, Associate Professor in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
Professor James Raftery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton,
Dr Lucy Wainwright, Director of Research, EP:IC Consultants Ltd, West Malling, Kent
Starts: 1st April 2023
Ends: 30th September 2024
Summary
This study will look at what happens to women’s health and wellbeing when they are imprisoned. The imprisoned women will be women from Dorset and we will compare any changes to changes in women from Hampshire who go to Hope Street instead of going to prison. Hope Street is a charity-funded alternative to prison, available only to women from Hampshire; women live in special accommodation in the community where they are secure and where they are able to access a range of health and social care services.
Women who go to prison are often from the poorest communities and they often have many different health problems, particularly relating to their mental health. These health problems are often related to their crimes and so by making sure they get the services they need, this will help their health improve and benefit wider society by helping tackle crime. This study will ensure that this new and unique information is available to those who plan and deliver health services locally.
The Southampton research team on this project are carrying out a 5-year evaluation of Hope Street. This means they can use the data that they are collecting as part of this evaluation on the health of women at Hope Street to compare to women from Dorset who are imprisoned. Researchers will collect information on the health and social care needs of the two groups of women at the same time intervals over a one-year period and in the same way. We will then compare this information to look for differences. We will interview the women so that we understand what their experiences are like in prison or Hope Street, and why there might be differences. We will also look at the cost of their care. The information from our study will help the professionals who plan health and social care services and also those who work in criminal justice settings such as prison or probation.
Women with experience of imprisonment are part of the eight-person study team. They have helped design the project and will be working with Hope Street women to train them in research. They will also be important in spreading the word about the study. This will enable us to reach not just academic audiences and policy makers through publishing in journals or presenting at research conferences, but also people with lived experience of imprisonment and charities that work in this area. Informing a wide range of people will be important in ensuring that the findings from this study are acted on.