Roots of recovery: Occupational therapy at the heart of health equity
Criminal justice system
Place-based systems of care take responsibility for all people living within a given area, bringing organisations together around the population they serve.93 An example of this is occupational therapists working within prison services.
People who are incarcerated or detained, from young offenders through to those serving longer sentences, can have complex health and care needs. They have the right to health and wellbeing94 and should have access to good integrated health and care support.95
Occupational therapy offers a valuable contribution to working with the general prison population (many of whom may have experienced occupational deprivation during their life due to social, economic and environmental factors) as part of a ‘whole prisons approach’ in which the wider determinants of health are addressed. Interventions might include:
- health promotion activities,
- life skills programmes,
- interventions to help people who are incarcerated or detained gain insight into lifestyle choices and that promote prosocial behaviour; and
- helping prepare for re-integration into the community, including through educational and vocational rehabilitation programmes.
Occupational therapists also work in partnership with prison services to identify and address an individual’s health, care and environmental needs, as well as risk factors, particularly for those with additional needs due to mental or physical ill-health or learning disabilities.96