Breaking the Chain: a prison‐based participatory action research project

Abstract

This paper describes how a group of prisoners at HMP Grendon Therapeutic Community undertook to survey staff and prisoners about unmet needs relating to abstinence from substance misuse. Participatory action research (PAR) principles helped to focus the energy and enthusiasm of the group, who sought to test their hypothesis that therapy could not meet the needs of everyone in relation to relapse prevention. With help, the group developed and analysed a survey, wrote or contributed to interim and final reports, evaluated the Relapse Prevention Taster Course that was commissioned as a result and contributed to this paper. The group processes are described, and two of the members describe what they got from participating.

Citation

Sullivan, E., Hassal, P. and Rowlands, D. (2008), "Breaking the Chain: a prison‐based participatory action research project", The British Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 13-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636646200800015