Challenges and Opportunities for Ex-Offender Support Through Community Nursing

• Published date: 01 October 2018
• Author: Cyril Eshareturi,Laura Serrant
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X18764854
• Date: 01 October 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X18764854

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2018, Vol. 62(14) 4642 –4654

© The Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X18764854

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Article

Challenges and Opportunities

for Ex-Offender Support

Through Community

Nursing

Cyril Eshareturi1 and Laura Serrant2

Abstract

This study was a qualitative case study underpinned by “The Silences Framework” aimed

at mapping the ex-offender health pathway towards identifying “touch points” in the

community for the delivery of a nurse-led intervention. Participants meeting the study

inclusion criteria were quantitatively ranked based on poor health. Participants scoring

the lowest and endorsing their ranking through a confirmation of a health condition

were selected as cases and interviewed over 6 months. Individuals in the professional

networks of offenders contextualized emergent themes. The study indicated that

pre-release, offenders were not prepared in prison for the continuity in access to

healthcare in the community. On release, reintegration preparation did not routinely

enquire whether offenders were still registered with a general practitioner or had the

agency to register self in the community. Participants identified the site of post-release

supervision as the “touch point” where a nurse-led intervention could be delivered.

Keywords

nurse led, ex-offenders, offender health, The Silences Framework, continuity in

access to healthcare

Introduction

In England and Wales, most prisoners are individuals with poor health which is exacer-

bated by being from marginalized sections of the population (Durcan, 2008). Compared

with the general population, their health is consistently worse across a range of

1University of Suffolk, Ipswich, UK

2Sheffield Hallam University, UK

Corresponding Author:

Cyril Eshareturi, Public Health Lecturer, University of Bradford, Faculty of Health Studies. Horton A

Building, Richmond Road, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.

Email: C.Eshareturi@bradford.ac.uk

764854IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X18764854International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyEshareturi and Serrant

research-article2018