Health & Social Care

April Langton, Mental Health Nurse at HMP Guys Marsh Prison, BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing graduate

One of the most important things I do as a mental health nurse in a prison setting is acting as an advocate for prisoners as they move towards release – but sometimes, that can go right down to the very last hour.

I work at HM Prison Guys Marsh, a category C men's prison in Shaftesbury, and my job is every bit as challenging and rewarding as you would expect. We’re obviously there to respond to mental health crises as they occur in the prison, but we also work with prisoners to help overcome the reasons behind their offending. Very often, this is down to some kind of trauma in their life, which has led to an ongoing mental issue. By helping to confront the trauma, we can help that person to make further changes that then help them stop offending.

The problems often come when they are released. After having a roof over their head and the support they need, these men can then find themselves returning to no fixed abode, where they will almost certainly find themselves repeating the same behaviours. Recently I had a prisoner due for release but, after eight weeks of negotiating with councils and government agencies, he had nowhere to go. He’d be made homeless when he left prison. I tried everything and everyone I could – and with just an hour before his release, I secured him somewhere to stay.

Whether he can make the necessary changes to his life is ultimately up to him, not me – but by helping him back onto his feet and giving him somewhere to stay, I’ve helped to give him that chance.

As a mental health nurse, you’re unlikely to change the world. What you can do, however, is change the world of the people you work with – and that’s an incredibly powerful thing to do.