Service User Experiences of an Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Outreach Service

Abstract

This qualitative study explored service user experiences of an Enhanced Support Service (ESS), a prison-based crisis outreach service within the offender personality disorder (OPD) pathway, in a male category C prison in England. Ten males who completed the ESS intervention were recruited through purposive sampling and participated in semi-structured interviews exploring helpful aspects, barriers to access, relationships with staff, the intervention environment, and experiences of personal change. Thematic analysis generated three superordinate themes: “Positive change is experienced through ESS,” “Making a change is not straightforward,” and “The environment needs to be considered.” ESS was experienced as transformative, with trusting relationships with staff central to change. However, participants highlighted the difficulties of making and sustaining changes within custody. The findings emphasize the challenges of delivering a psychologically informed service in prison and the importance of service user choice and relational practice in meeting the aims of ESS and the wider OPD pathway.