Self-harm in Women’s Prisons: Is Collaborative Care and Self-Management the Future?

1st March and 2nd March 2016, The Mill, North Campus, Manchester M13 9PL

Self-harm is a significant and increasing problem in prisons. Women prisoners, although only representing 6% of the total prison population, account for 50% of the self-harm events which take place in a prison. Self-harm is associated with psychosocial problems, depression and an increased risk of suicide, which is far greater in women offenders than those in the community. Interpersonal conflicts are the commonest cause of self-harm in women prisoners and nearly 50% report histories of domestic violence and around a third previous sexual abuse.

The Manchester Women’s Conference would like to invite you to a two day conference on self-harm in women’s prisons. The conference will bring together service users, prison staff, charities and academics to discuss exciting new developments to manage self-harm in women’s prisons. The conference takes place over two days with the first day consisting of presentations and a second day of workshops.

Confirmed speakers include Governor Mahala McGuffie, HM Prison Styal, Prof. Annie Bartlett, Professor of Offender Health Care, St George’s University of London and HM Prison Holloway, Dr Emma Plugge, University of Oxford. The programme also includes a presentation from ex-offenders on their experiences of self-harm in women’s prisons, demonstrations of medical skin camouflage for self-harm scarring and workshops from the Offender Health Research Network on research within the prison estate.

Day One considers the implications of current evidence for women who self-harm through presentations and panel discussion.

Day Two considers implementing evidence into practice via a series of parallel workshops.

Topics will include:

  • Service user experience of self-harm in women’s prisons
  • Prison staff perspectives on self-harm
  • Psychodynamic interpersonal therapy for self-harm
  • Medical skin camouflage for self-harm scars
  • Recovery and self-harm

For further details of the programme and to discuss group booking discounts please contact Dr Kerry Gutridge on:

DOWNLOAD THE BOOKING FORM HERE