‘Marked improvement’ thanks to Reflex work on prison wing

Reflex’s work with female young offenders in HMP Styal is going from strength to strength.

The team was recently asked to expand their work on one wing because prison authorities saw a clear link between the quality of activities that the team were delivering and a marked reduction in incidences of self-harm and attempted suicides.

Since June 2009, the team has delivered sessions to around 500 prisoners on Willow Wing, all linked to addressing the four main reasons identified as to why young people offend (non-constructive use of leisure time, lack of significant positive role models, low self-esteem and lack of achievement).

In a recent report, Young Offender Manager at HMP Styal, Alex Devlin wrote: ‘We have noticed a marked improvement in the attitude and behaviour of our prisoners.  Prisoners are interested in attending activities on the unit, group dynamics and inter-personal skills have improved.  The number of incidents on the unit has reduced dramatically, control and restraint is rarely used and fights between prisoners are now usually arguments as opposed to physical violence.’

Read our profile on Reflex, New Life Inside, from Issue 2 of Flow Magazine.