Mental Health in Prisons: Critical Perspectives on Treatment and Confinement (Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology)

“In this book, Alice Mills and Kathleen Kendall bring together a remarkable set of contributions. Taken together, they remind the reader of the silent but powerfully individualising nature of neo-liberal societies and the toll they take on those imprisoned with mental health problems. Documenting the further marginalisation of the already marginalised, this edited collection sets an important agenda for change. It remains to be seen whether or not anyone listens to its findings. They should.” (Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, University of Liverpool, UK)

This book examines how the prison environment, architecture and culture can affect mental health as well as determine both the type and delivery of mental health services. It also discusses how non-medical practices, such as peer support and prison education programs, offer the possibility of transformative practice and support. By drawing on international contributions, it furthermore demonstrates how mental health in prisons is affected by wider socio-economic and cultural factors, and how in recent years neo-liberalism has abandoned, criminalised and contained large numbers of the world’s most marginalised and vulnerable populations. Overall, this collection challenges the dominant narrative of individualism by focusing instead on the relationship between structural inequalities, suffering, survival and punishment.