This service aims to reduce the negative impact of violent and disruptive behaviour in prisons through the use of a dedicated multi‐disciplinary staff team that works in partnership across prison, healthcare and forensic psychology services. The ESS will target the small minority of prisoners in each establishment who demonstrate severe and persistent violent and disruptive behaviour that has not responded to existing strategies and interventions to manage this behaviour. Staff will work intensively with these prisoners in a collaborative manner to develop motivation and positive coping skills in order to reduce negative behaviours. They will develop and work towards personal and sentence planning goals. The team will work in a psychologically informed manner and be supported by formulation based on understanding of the prisoners with whom they are working. The team will work indirectly with other staff to increase understanding and appropriate management of these prisoners.
Note that the ESS is due to be expanded in late 2014 to additionally include HMP YOI Brinsford and HMP Swaleside.

Suitable for:

All referrals to the service will be offenders at HMP Pentonville.
Suitable referrals will demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Threats and/or verbally abusive behaviours; recurrent violent and aggressive behaviours; recurring sexually inappropriate behaviour; recurring damage/destruction to property (including cell smashing, fire starting, flooding etc); prolific and severe threats; inability to settle in normal location; and disruptive to the general prison operations.

Offer:

The staff team will seek to address the prisoner’s needs through conducting the following activities: psychoeducation – including understanding triggers for violent behaviour and the thought process that may be associated with the specific behaviours; Motivational work; Self esteem work; Goal setting; Problem solving; Emotional regulation; Distress tolerance; Pro‐social skills; and/or Other – as agreed locally by and available to the team. The ESS service does not offer formal interventions.