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Nursing in Justice and Forensic Health

Use this guide to find information resources about nursing in justice and forensic health including books, reports and journal articles.

Last updated: 06/11/2024

Key Resources

House of Commons Justice Committee (2021) Mental health in prison: fifth report of session 2021–22. London: House of Commons.
NHS England (2022) - The Mental health nurse’s handbook
National Offender Management Service and NHS England (2020) Working with personality disordered offenders: a practitioner’s guide.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Learning Lessons reports.
  • These publications identify lessons to be learned from Prisons & Probation Ombudsman independent investigations.
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HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (2024) The Long wait:  a thematic review of delays in the transfer of mentally unwell prisoners.
Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody and The Royal College of Nursing (2020) Avoidable natural deaths in prison custody: putting things right. London: IAPDC
 
Royal College of Nursing (2019) Time and space - enabling defusing activities leaflet. London: RCN.

Nursing in Justice

CED Joint Working Group (2021) Conducted Energy Device (CED): at a glance guidance for ED Clinicians. London: The Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine.
Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (2021) Neurodiversity in the criminal justice system: a review of evidence. London: CJJI.
Davies M, Rolewicz L, Schlepper L and Fagunwa F (2020) Locked out? Prisoners' use of hospital care. Research report: Nuffield Trust.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales (2022) The Annual report of HM Chief Inspector of prisons from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. London: HMIP
Joint Unions in Prisons Alliance (JUPA) - Safe inside.
  • The Joint Unions in Prisons Alliance (JUPA) was set up in response to ongoing concerns about the safety of staff working in prison environments to seek improvements to working conditions in prisons so that staff can feel 'Safe Inside'.
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Mental Health Foundation (2022) How to look after your mental health in prison: a guide written for male prisoners.
NHS England (2023) A review of health and social care in women’s prisons. 
NHS England (2022) Health and justice framework for integration 2022-2025: improving lives – reducing inequality.
  • NHS England Health and Justice is responsible for commissioning healthcare for children, young people and adults across secure and detained settings.
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Northern Ireland Audit Office (2019) Mental Health in the criminal justice system. CDS
  • The report examines the pathways through which offenders will progress when they come into contact with the justice system.
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UK Health Security Agency (2022)  Acute respiratory illness, including flu and COVID-19 in prisons. 
NHS England and NHS Improvement (2021) Meeting the healthcare needs of adults with a learning disability and autistic adults in prison. London: NHS.
Prison Reform Trust (2024) Bromley briefings: prison factfile winter 2024. London: Prison Reform Trust.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (2019) Safer prescribing in prisons, guidance for clinicians. London: RCGP.

Forensic Health Care

NHS Scotland: Forensic mental health services managed care network.
Royal College of Psychiatrists (2018) Prison mental health in Northern Ireland (CR219). London: RCP.
Scottish Government: Forensic mental health.
We would like to thank the RCN Nursing in Justice and Forensic Health Care member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Nursing in Justice

Book cover Brooke J (2023) Nursing in prison. Cham: Springer. 
Book cover Matheson J, Patterson J, and Neilson L (eds.) (2020) Tackling causes and consequences of health inequalities: a practical guide. London: CRC Press.
Book cover Phipps E, O'Moore E, Plugge E and Hard J (2024) Prison medicine and health. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
Book cover Walsh E and Norman A (2014) Nursing in criminal justice services. Keswick: M and K Publishing.

Forensic Health books

Book cover Blumenthal S,  Wood H and Williams A (2018) Assessing risk: a relational approach. Abingdon: Routledge. 
Book cover El-Genady E (2015) Forensic mental health nursing and criminal justice system. Saarbrücken: Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.
Book cover Faugno D K, Mitchell S A, Sievers V, Pederson S L, Volz J M and Speck P M (2022) Introduction to forensic nursing: principles and practice. St. Louis: STM Learning, Incorporated.
book cover Mafuba K and Gates B (2023) Learning and intellectual disability nursing practice. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.
Book cover Naidoo S R (2023) Interpreting medical findings in sexual contact and abuse: a reference handbook for legal and health practitioners. Cape Town: Juta & Company, Limited.
Book cover Pollock P (2015) Cognitive analytic therapy for offenders: a new approach to forensic psychotherapy. London: Routledge.
Book cover Rogers A, Harvey J and Law H (2015) Young people in forensic mental health settings: psychological thinking and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Book cover Scannell J M (2018) Fast facts about forensic nursing: what you need to know. New York: Springer Publishing.
Book cover Stark M M (2020) Clinical forensic medicine: a physician's guide. Cham: Springer.

Book subject searches

Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

Nursing in Justice journal articles

Use these links for details of journal articles on each topic.

Forensic Health journal articles

Use these links to see details of journal articles on each topic.

Nursing in Justice journals

Journals of interest for Nursing in Justice.

Forensic Health journals

Journals of interest for Forensic Health.

Exhibitions

Prison nursing unlocked exhibition RCN exhibition: Prison nursing unlocked: A history of care and justice.
  • Explore the fascinating history of health care in prisons, from the work of early reformers like Elizabeth Fry to the vital contribution that nurses make to prisoner health today.
    View online exhibition

Special collections

Our Permanent Collection consists of nursing specific core items and rare items, and as such is viewable by appointment only. Here is a small selection of items from our collection.
Rowe J (1927) John Howard: prison reformer and philanthropist. London: The Epworth Press.
Smalley H (1902) Prison hospital nursing: being a manual of first aid and nursing for the prison hospital staff. London: HMSO.

Historical journals

Nursing Record/British Journal of Nursing (1888-1956)
  • Digitised journal available online.
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  • Article: (no author) (1922) Editorial: HM Prison Nursing Service, British Journal of Nursing, 25 Feb, p.111.
    View page
  • Article: (no author) (1925) Lecture on prision nursing, British Journal of Nursing: Royal British Nurses Association supplement, November, p.234-235.
    View page
  • Article: (no author) (1909) The Elizabeth Fry League, British Journal of Nursing, 18 December, p.495-496.
    View page

This subject guide relates to:

Nursing in Justice and Forensic Health Care Forum
RCN library staff

Lee Kattenhorn

Editor of this guide

RCN Library and Museum

Upcoming events relating to this subject guide

Page last updated - 06/11/2024

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