Abstract

Prisoners in the UK are in a poor state of health
compared to the wider population, often
experiencing numerous physical and/or mental
health problems. Many prisoners have had little
contact with health services, and research suggests
that the standard of health care provided in prisons
is not equivalent to that provided in the community.
This article introduces Care Services Improvement
Partnership Health Trainers – an initiative aiming to
provide prisoners themselves with the skills to
address health inequalities among their peers.
Initially, it discusses the origins of these Health
Trainers. It then examines prisoners’ views on how
training as a Health Trainer has influenced their
attitudes and behaviour, and outlines possible
implications of providing this kind of training to
prisoners in terms of them using their knowledge
to influence other prisoners’ mental health.