‘England has one of the highest incarceration rates worldwide, with prisons experiencing overcrowding and relying on volunteer organisations to deliver rehabilitation and mentoring services. Nevertheless, the literature on prison volunteers’ experiences remains sparce. To address this gap, this study aimed to investigate the motivations, experiences and recommendations of prison volunteers in England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with prison volunteers from across England. Data were analysed thematically to identify key themes within the dataset. A total of 21 prison volunteers (n = 16 female, n = 5 male) participated, with an average of 7.5 years of volunteer experience. Six main themes were identified: ‘motivations for prison volunteering’, ‘characteristics of prison volunteers’, ‘volunteers’ relationships with prisoners’, ‘volunteers’ interactions with the prison officers’, ‘volunteers’ perceptions of the prison system’ and ‘system impediments to volunteering work’. Volunteers described their experiences of prison volunteering as largely positive, with volunteers forming positive relationships with prisoners and gaining new perspectives on both prisoners and the prison system. However, they also identified challenges within the prison system and volunteer organisations, which should be addressed to better support prison volunteers.’
Full Story
Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 3rd March 2026
Source: www.tandfonline.com
