Mental health, ageing and palliative care in prisons

Corrections
Learning Academy
Mental health, ageing
and palliative care in prison
Mental healthcare, suicide prevention, geriatrics, wellbeing,
and palliative care in prison
Group and Tutored
Prison Health

Mental health, ageing and
palliative care in prisons
About this course
Group and Tutored
This is a comprehensive training course and programme that is divided into three key areas of learning:
mental healthcare and suicide prevention, geriatrics, and palliative care in prison.
This course meets the current and future needs of prison staff in the area of mental health, ageing and
palliative care for prisoners.
calendar
5h per week, for 6 weeks
Who should attend?
Pre-requisites
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Blended learning:
e-Learning, self-study
and live online sessions
with a trainer
• Individuals and/or organisations that are
responsible for prisoners
• Professionals from entities linked with/or
collaborating in initiatives that promote the
health of prisoners and/or prison staff
check-sq Working in a prison service.
check-sq A minimum of 10 participants is required to
start this course.
We will make sure the groups are formed accordingly once the 10
enrolled trainees are reached.
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certific
Total: 31h50
16h e-Learning
3h30 self-study
12h live online sessions
with a trainer (2 hours,
after each module)
Certificate of Completion
The content of this course has been developed and piloted in Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Romania and The Netherlands, under the MenACE project,
co-funded by the European Commission under the ERASMUS + programme - KA2 - Strategic partnerships for adult education.
The course content is free to access (except any modules with access restricted due to certification requirements). The price associated with this
course refers to expert tutoring and learning management system fees.

Welcome to your online campus
Corrections Learning Academy is an online training platform with real-time and self-paced programmes developed by Corrections experts.
Here you can acquire relevant knowledge and develop new skills anytime, anywhere at your own pace.
Our platform is powered by a sophisticated learning management system and complemented by our online store so you can securely
purchase as many courses as you’d like.
Get promotional prices and exclusive access to course materials at:
www.correctionslearning.online
Technical requirements
Basic requirements
To complete a programme, you’ll need a current email account and access to
a computer and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader. You may need to view
Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and read and create documents in Microsoft
Word or Excel.
Browsers supported by Corrections Learning Academy
Our learning platform is compatible with all modern browsers, including Firefox,
IE 9+, Chrome, Safari, and Opera. The platform is also compatible with all browsers
used by the latest mobile devices (i.e., iOS and Android). We recommend you to
use a modern browser to experience our platform the best way possible.

Contents
Orientation module
You’ll be welcomed with a live session and technical support
network. You will then begin connecting with fellow participants
while exploring the tools of Corrections Learning. Moreover, you
will be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and be able to
review how your results will be calculated and distributed.
You’ll be required to complete your participant profile and submit a
digital copy of your passport/identity document.
The Essentials of Prison Health
• Introduction: “Prison health is public health”
Principles and standards in prison health
• Key principles
• Inmates’ rights to health care practices
• The prisoner as a patient
• The organisation of prison health care
• Standardised prison health care duties
Communicable diseases
• The burden of disease and transmission factors in prison
• Bloodborne diseases (e.g., HIV; HpB, HPC)
• Tuberculosis
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Skin conditions
• Infectious diseases of the digestive tract
Non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancers,
respiratory diseases, mental disorders, neurological disorders,
endocrinological disorders)
• The burden of disease and risk factors for NCDs in inmates
• Challenges in providing appropriate prevention
• Implementing appropriate care and treatment standards
Mental health
• Concepts and terminology / what is mental illness?
• Prevalence of poor mental health and illness in prisons
• The impact of imprisonment on mental health
Oral health
• The general impact of general health on oral health
• Oral health promotion

Contents
Drug use and drug services in prison
• Prevalence of drug use, and related risks
• Prevention, treatment, harm reduction and aftercare
Prisoners with special needs
• Prisoners with physical disabilities
• Ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples
• Foreign prisoners
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender prisoners
• Older prisoners
Women’s health in prison
• Facts and figures
• Gender-specific health care
• Pregnancy
• Children
The older prisoner
• Accelerated ageing
• Geriatric medicine
• Ageing and re-entry into the community
• Palliative care
Mental health in prisons
Introduction
• Concepts and terminology / what is mental illness? The three groups
of mental disorders (neuroses, psychoses, and personality disorders)
• Prevalence of poor mental health and illness in prisons
• The impact of imprisonment on mental health
Special needs and challenges
• Access to justice
• Prison environment
• Health care
• Discrimination and stigmatisation
• Safety and security risks
• Suicide and self-harm
• Preparation for release and post-release support
Supporting mental health and wellbeing in prisons
• Levels of care
• Clinical healthcare services
• Transfer to specialised units
• Non-clinical mental health services
• Mental health promotion checklist

Contents
Suicide and self-harm prevention
• Introduction
• Suicide profiles
• Suicide risk factors
• Key components of a suicide prevention programme
• Responding to suicide (attempts)
Mental health needs of young offenders
• Facts and figures
• Specific mental health needs
• Increasing young offenders’ mental wellbeing (treatment models)
• Liaison and diversion
Mental health needs of women in prison
• Facts and figures
• Specific mental health needs
• Responses & interventions
Identifying mental health problems in prisons: signs and
procedures
• ‘What to look for?’: Symptoms/signs to identify mental health
problems among prisoners
• Common mental health problems in prison and its main symptoms
• Risk factors/red flags
• Actions and procedures: initial screening and assessment, mental
health referral procedures, multidisciplinary teamwork and positive
communication
Ensuring continuity of care
• Introduction
• Continuity between prison and the community
• Continuity between prisons
Geriatrics in prison
Holistic care for the older prisoner
• Concepts and terminology
• A rapidly greying prison population: facts and figures
• Recurrent health issues among elderly inmates
• The high costs of incarcerating the elderly
• Human rights considerations
Special needs and challenges
• Access to justice
• Assessment
• Accommodation
• Health care
• Family links

Contents
Inmate programmes
• Preparation for release and post-release support
• Early conditional release, compassionate release and amnesties
Identifying age-related issues in prison: signs and procedures
• Physical difficulties (such as impaired hearing and vision and
decreased mobility)
• Geriatric syndromes
• Long-term abuse of substances
• Needs and obstacles
• Palliative and hospice care services and care models in prison
Communication and teamwork
• Basic communication concepts
• Interdisciplinary team in palliative care and their roles
• Communication with patients/ families and between care team
members
• Conflict management
Working with older prisoners: good practice
• Age-friendly reception and induction
• Older prisoner forums
• Day centre and day services provision
• Older prisoner policy
Ensuring continuity of care
• Continuity between prisons
• Continuity between prison and the community
Palliative Care in Prison
Palliative care: Introduction
• Concepts and terminology: What is palliative care and hospice care?
Understanding the concept of “total pain”
• Facts and figures
Patients’ needs
• Pain, screening tools and palliative care needs
• Patients’ quality of life and monitoring
First aid in palliative care
• Emergencies, care and reporting interventions
Terminal stage
• Signs of terminal stage
• Needs identification and interventions
Ensuring continuity of care
• Continuity of care within palliative care
• Continuity of care between prisons

Contents
Staff health and wellbeing in prisons
Dynamic security
Introduction
• Staff and the prison environment
• Prison staff challenges
The stressful workplace
• Work stress & burnout
• Job stress among prison staff
Health promotion and awareness
• The whole-prison approach
• Health promotion programmes for staff
• Health awareness and staff training
Introduction
• The essentials of dynamic security
Elements of dynamic security
• Professional and constructive relationships with prisoners
• Interpersonal skills
• Staff selection and training
• Embedding dynamic security in operational policy
• Unit management and direct supervision
• Gathering information
• Prevention of staff corruption and manipulation
• Constructive activities for prisoners
Staff support
• Introduction
• Peer support programmes
• Physical health & staff training
• Family support & therapeutic interventions
• Recommended practices for staff support
Intelligence and dynamic security
• Intelligence and dynamic security as two complementary and
intertwined concepts
Applying dynamic security concepts to healthcare in prisons
• Dynamic security and health promotion

After completing the
course, trainees will
receive a Certificate as
proof of their learning
activities at the online
Corrections Learning
Academy.

Who you’ll learn from
Ângela Fernandes is a psychotherapist and a forensic expert. She holds a
master’s degree in Psychology and a PhD in Applied Psychology from the
University of Minho, Portugal. Ângela is a Consultant and Senior Researcher
at IPS Innovative Prison Systems and collaborates in Rehabilitation and
Reintegration projects.
Ângela Fernandes
Consultant @IPS
Vítor Costa holds a PhD in Psychology and is a professor at the University
of Beira Interior and researcher at the BSAFE Law Enforcement, Justice and
Public Safety Lab. Vítor is one of the authors of the RRAP Radicalisation
Risk Assessment in Prisons toolset.
Vítor Costa
Researcher @UBI

Academy board
Pedro das Neves
Chief Executive Officer @IPS
CEO of IPS Innovative Prison Systems and ICJS
Innovative Criminal Justice Systems Inc., Board
Director of ICPA, the International Prisons and
Corrections Association, and the BSAFE Law
Enforcement - Justice and Public Safety Lab. Pedro
holds a Sociology degree and an M.A. and other
learning experiences in universities worldwide.
He worked on criminal justice reform for 20
years and has been involved in designing and
implementing innovative projects awarded as
best practices. He is the founder/editor of JUSTICE
TRENDS magazine and was recognised with the
ICPA Correctional Excellence Award (Management
& Staff Training). Pedro das Neves is a lecturer
on the UNED (Spain) post-graduate programme
“Master on Penitentiary Management, Intervention
and Administration” and an appointed member
of the European Commission (‘DG JUST’) group of
experts on European Judicial Training.
Ana Maria Evans
Chief Innovation Officer @IPS
Ana Maria Evans is Chief Innovation Officer at IPS
Innovative Prison Systems and an Invited Professor
in the “Philosophy, Politics and Economics”
(PPE) programme of the Portuguese Catholic
University. Ana holds a Law degree (Catholic
University, Lisbon), a M.A. in International Relations
(University of San Diego), and a PhD in Government
(Georgetown University). Ana taught and developed
research in the U.S and Portuguese universities,
published scientific articles in international
journals and books, delivered work in international
conferences, served as a committee member to
international meetings, won and coordinated an
FCT Starting Grant for research on “Governance
Models and the Delivery of Public Services”. Ana
has been the recipient of international fellowships/
grants and has served on the board of civil society
organizations, including the Fulbright Alumni
Association - Portugal.
Ioan Durnescu
Professor @University of Bucharest
Prof. Dr. Ioan Durnescu is a Professor at the
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Sociology
and Social Work. He teaches and researches in
the field of Corrections, with a special interest
in working methodologies and comparative
probation. He is one of the editors of the Probation
in Europe (WOLF) and the Understanding Penal
Practice (Routledge) and the co-editor of the
European Journal of Probation, published by the
University of Bucharest in partnership with SAGE
Publishing. Dr. Ioan is an honorary member of
the Confederation of European Probation (CEP),
Vice-President of the Collegium of Social Workers
of Romania and a former chair of the Community
Sanctions and Measures Working group within
the European Society of Criminology. He is the
author of the book “Core Correctional Skills”, a
result of many years of teaching and training
prison and probation staff worldwide.

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Learning Academy
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