Abstract

This study sought to explore how men experienced their transfer from prison in the criminal justice system, to being detained indeterminately in mental health services, under the Mental Health Act, for treatment and rehabilitation.
An exploratory qualitative method using thematic analysis was adopted throughout the research process. Eleven participants were recruited with each participant engaging in one semi-structured interview. The data was collected and analysed employing a six-stage process, following the guidelines by Braun and Clarke (2006). Four main themes were constructed, with some themes consisting of smaller subthemes: Shifting Identities, Understanding and Negotiating, Engaging with Therapy, and Making Sense of Time.
The core of the thematic analysis constructed suggests that individuals found that the process of transfer had a direct impact on their perception of self, causing shifts in identity. The main features which supported their view of self was that of ‘being a patient’ in a system; a system which held power to make important evaluations about them as individuals. This linked directly to a second theme where participants described a process of familiarisation and adaptation to their environment. This was constructed as a strategy which supported participants to set up assumptions and expectations about being detained for treatment in a high secure hospital. The process of transfer and adjustment was underpinned by existing hierarchies of power.
This research offers a unique contribution to the current literature by illustrating that the process of transfer has a significant effect on individuals, highlighting the need to support individuals to make sense of this process and their new environment.
Given the limitations of the study future research incorporating a wider constituency of participants, including those who may have moved on from high secure services would add useful insights into this experience. The clinical implications suggested by the study include the need for psychological therapy in this setting to focus more upon the impact of transition, with wider consideration by clinicians of the impact of social identity on the process of treatment and rehabilitation for this population.