In the Irish Prison Service (IPS), a small cohort of prisoners, who are repeatedly engaged in serious violence and disruption in prison, are managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy. Since its initial implementation in 2014, practice under the VDP policy has changed significantly, from that which was operationally-driven, to current practice which is psychologically-informed. To this effect, the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU) was established by the IPS in 2018.
This session presents and discusses this journey, as documented and evaluated by a complete programme of research. Multiple studies utilised primarily qualitative methodologies to explore both prison officers’ (n = 26) and prisoners’ (n = 7) experiences of both previous (pre-NVRU) and current (in-NVRU) practice under the VDP policy. Interestingly, and grounded in the psychological approach underpinning current practice in the NVRU, this research also utilised the new and novel Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) to generate in-depth understandings of the origins, experiences and expressions of the violent behaviour of these prisoners.
This research continues to have important implications for policy and practice in the IPS, not only in the management of this specific cohort, but in the management of challenging behaviour more generally. This workshop presents key learnings throughout this journey of shifting practice, which will be of interest to other services, jurisdictions and countries facing similar challenges.
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Orla Gallagher
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Irish Prison Service & University College Dublin, Ireland
Orla Gallagher is a final year PhD candidate in Forensic Psychology with the Irish Prison Service (IPS) and University College Dublin (UCD). She is co-supervised by Dr Emma Regan (Head of Psychological Services, IPS) and Prof. Gary’ O Reilly (Professor of Clinical Psychology, UCD). Her PhD research has focused on capturing and evaluating the way in which serious violence and disruption is managed in the IPS. Prior to commencing her PhD she completed her MSc in Clinical Forensic Psychology at King’s College London, during which time she worked as an Assistant Psychologist in a low-secure forensic hospital. Prior to this she completed her BA in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Limerick. During this time she completed clinical placements in community mental health and acquired brain injury services. She also spent a semester studying abroad at McMaster University, Canada, where she first encountered Forensic Psychology. She has keen professional interests in psychologically-informed correctional practices, violence reduction efforts, correctional staff well-being, qualitative research, representing service-user voices, and translating academic research into applied policies, procedures and practices in forensic settings.