title: A critical exploration of the management of self-harm in a male custodial setting: qualitative findings of a comparative analysis of prison staff views on self-harm.
abstract: There are a growing number of prisoners who self-harm in prisons in England and Wales despite adopting a safer custody ethos. An in-depth study of staff views of self-harm from various agencies within the prison and the integration of their different forms of expertise and perspectives to address this problem is lacking. Negative attitudes to self-harm have been identified as an additional risk factor to this problematic behavior.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study identified and compared relevant attitudinal dimensions of custodial and healthcare staff on prisoners who self-harm in an Adult Male "Local" Category B prisons (referred to as the study prison) where self-harm was twice the national average (14%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Semistructured interviews were conducted with 37 prison staff (14 nurses and 23 prison officers) as part of a mixed methods research study where documentary evidence and a self-harm questionnaire were also used. This paper discusses and presents the findings for the thematic analysis of the semistructured interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The key themes identified were understanding self-harm, building relationships, organizational issues, occupational issues, and care management of self-harm. The findings suggest that most prison staff felt unsupported and inadequately equipped to manage self-harm, and reported interdisciplinary conflict on its collective management.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University Campus Suffolk, University of East Anglia School of Nursing Sciences, Norfolk Prison Cluster, HMP Norwich, and Royal College of Nursing.
authors.forename: Pras
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramluggun
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009726:Nurses; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016495:Police; D011329:Prisoners; D011330:Prisons; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy