Experiences and impact of moral injury among staff who work within the prison estate: a study to co-design a staff support program to promote mental well-being

Staff working in prisons often face situations that challenge their moral beliefs. They may be required to do things, or witness things, they personally disagree with and can feel betrayed by those in authority. These experiences can cause 'moral injury' which is characterised by feelings of intense guilt, shame, and anger, and can lead to the development of mental health problems including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We will explore the experiences of moral injury in prison staff, including prison officers and those providing healthcare in prisons. We will carry out a survey with prison staff, then conduct one-to-one interviews and co-design an intervention to tackle moral injury with prison staff.

Once the programme is drafted we will share it with a range of stakeholders to refine it further. If future testing shows the programme is effective, this co-designed programme could not only improve prison staff wellbeing and reduce staff turnover, but it could also have positive effects on prisoners by reducing staff stress and improving staff-prisoner interactions.

This study is the first step in ensuring a large population of prisoners with complex needs are better cared for by staff who are healthier and happier.

University of Bath, University of Bristol, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and funded by NIHR Three Schools