ABSTRACT
This chapter describes purpose of prison and explains how imprisonment affects mental health. It discusses the psychological impact of imprisonment. The chapter considers the methods undertaken to reduce reoffending, including offending behaviour programmes offered to prisoners. It then presents the work of a prison-based forensic psychologist. The most common form of psychological intervention in prison, usually carried out in one-to-one sessions, is cognitive behavioural therapy. Many of the psychological interventions in prison deal directly with the problems of the offending behaviour, rather than general issues of the psychological difficulties the person is experiencing. In order for a sex offender to stop offending, they need to be motivated to do so and they need to possess the insight, skills and strategies to avoid risk and control temptation. The prison service sex offender treatment programme is based on established cognitive behavioural principles of the type known to be most effective in reducing risk of reoffending.
