Male prisoners’ constructions of help-seeking

Abstract

Purpose

Help-seeking behaviours are fundamental to mental health and well-being. This study is concerned with how male prisoners talk about help-seeking in order that treatment programmes can be developed that better address their needs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Informed by Foucauldian and Social Constructionist philosophies, this discourse analysis draws on the interview transcripts of nine male prisoners, looking at the discursive constructions mobilised in relation to help-seeking and the implications these have for agency.

Findings

Three overarching discourses are identified: “man-up and deal with it”, “solidarity” and “authoritarian”. Prisoners resist formal help because of a perceived injustice in the system, disrespect for staff and feeling helpless when they are “bombarded with medication to keep quiet”. When they do engage with formal help-seeking behaviours it is frequently “to work the system”. Generally, they are more motivated to engage with informal help-seeking behaviours with each other, learning the knowledge like “a taxi driver” and sharing it with fellow prisoners although, for some, expressing emotion is like “an episode of Eastenders […] like a girlie programme”.

Research limitations/implications

The qualitative nature of the analysis requires certain discourses to be privileged over others, acknowledging that there is no one truth. Further research is needed to explore informal sources of help-seeking within the prison population.

Practical implications

There is a need to develop treatment programmes that promote informal help-seeking strategies and work with prisoners in a facilitative rather than coercive manner.

Originality/value

To privilege the voices of prisoners.

Citation

Cobb, S. and Farrants, J. (2014), "Male prisoners’ constructions of help-seeking", The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 46-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-01-2013-0005