rehabilitation
Creating a future
Prison can be an opportunity to change deep-rooted behav iour and begin to flourish, the team at Addaction tell DDN
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Ihave learnt that the crime I was doing and the drugs I was taking didn’ t just affect me, it also affected other people – it’ s a ripple effect,’ said a prisoner at HMP Lincoln, describing the effect Addaction’ s Trans4orm programme was having on him.‘ It has helped me to share my problems and understand different ways to cope.’
Another participant called it‘ a bright light in a dark place’, and this was the intention of Louise Scherdel, Addaction’ s Lincolnshire Prisons service manager, when she wrote and developed the programme under the supervision of Andrew Beaver, operations manager at Grantham Community Service.
‘ Our ultimate goal on the Trans4orm project is to equip prisoners with strong life skills to change deep-rooted negative behaviour patterns, so they can go on to live life free from alcohol or substance misuse,’ she says.
Up to 12 prisoners at a time volunteer to engage in the programme and are screened first to make sure of their commitment. Once accepted, the participants are moved from their existing prison accommodation to a small community on a self-contained‘ recovery landing’, where they live together for 12 weeks.
In these new surroundings – which have been refurbished and painted with bright motifs and motivational statements by Trans4orm participants – the prisoners are given intense daily therapy sessions, both individually and as a group, by Addaction’ s substance misuse experts assisted by peer mentors.
An important part of this programme is the Cognitive Approach to Recovery, written by Addaction to address the deep-rooted attitudes and thoughts that have resulted in negative behaviours and continuing substance misuse.
It’ s a’ holistic, whole-person approach’, says Scherdel.‘ We are always recovery-focused and work hard with the prisoners at HMP Lincoln to encourage enhanced levels of confidence, motivation and drive to achieve their own recovery … for many of the people who participate in Trans4orm it is the Addaction self-esteem, self-belief and self-confidence therapies that appear to offer them the most motivation to change negative patterns of behaviour.’
‘ We want people to leave prison and live a life free of drug and alcohol dependency and reoffending, and that means finding a balance between security and supportive therapy,’ adds Beaver.
HMP Lincoln’ s governor, Peter Wright, says‘ the level of need among people in Lincoln Prison is almost overwhelming’, but believes the programme is making‘ a profoundly important difference to the lives of the men who take part’. The 90 per cent completion rate has set a new benchmark for success.
‘ The best times I have here are when I meet people on the programme for their final session,’ he says.‘ It is a privilege to hear them tell their stories and how they have been able to face up to issues in a safe environment … Above all, I know from the moving testimony of service users that potentially life changing things are happening.’
The holistic approach to recovery includes a growing range of activities developed by the Addaction substance misuse team across both Lincolnshire prisons – HMP Lincoln and HMP North Sea Camp. Art therapy workshops have resulted in pieces by prisoners being exhibited in a London gallery; a theatre company and music therapy group are performing regularly within both prisons, and a very popular‘ recovery garden’ project is enabling service users to grow vegetables for homeless people and the local church.
It’ s all about promoting recovery as a genuine possibility – and a genuine alternative to drugs, says Scherdel.‘ Keeping prisoners engaged and motivated, and helping them to reflect on their lives is very important. We want people to leave prison and live a life free of drug and alcohol dependency and reoffending, and that means finding a balance between security and supportive therapy.’
8 | drinkanddrugsnews | April 2017 www. drinkanddrugsnews. com