Project aims to help psychosis in women in custody

Mind in Camden’s ‘Hearing Voices’ initiative now supporting 10 women’s prisons

HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, is set to become the tenth prison in the UK to benefit from the ‘Hearing Voices’ group support for women.

Planned to run until at least 2020, Mind in Camden’s prison project, Women’s Voices Unlocked, aims to train staff, provide specialist support, and develop a sustainable network of peer support groups for women in prisons, forensic secure units and immigration removal centres.

A 2013 Ministry of Justice report revealed that 25% of women in prison – one in every four women in custody – report symptoms indicative of psychosis, including visions and hearing voices. The figure shows that 10% more women than men report hearing voices while in custody.

Eve Mundy, Development Worker for Voices Unlocked told the UK media: “Mind in Camden’s network of Hearing Voices groups is the first of its kind in the world.”

During an independent evaluation of the model in 2016, 54% of women prisoners surveyed were “very satisfied” with support received, while 72% of respondents reported that a closure of the project would have a negative impact.