“It’s not going to break me.”

1. “It’s not going to break me.” Mental health and women’s experiences in the prison system. Jane Hegerty and Melanie Mitchell

2. General Intro/ Painting the environment • Our Role • Work Environment • 3 Prisons

3. Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre

4. Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre

5. Helana Jones - Albion

6. General Intro/ Painting the environment • Our Role • Work Environment • 3 Prisons • Counselling environment and Restrictions • Physical context and prison procedures

7. Effect of Prison on Women with Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions • Physical Environment • Access to Support • Medication • Experience of those without mental health concerns • Changes in Mental Health

8. Effect of Prison on Women with Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions • Physical Environment • Crisis Support Unit • Observation Cells

9. Effect of Prison on Women with Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions • Access to support • Limited, time delays • Type of support available • Medication • Women’s choice/control

10. Effect of Prison on Women with Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions • Experience of those without mental health concerns • Other women in prison • Prison staff • Changes in Mental Health • Lose contact with support on the outside • Skills/resources deteriorate • Worse position upon release

11. Effect of Prison Environment on All Women’s Mental Health & Wellbeing • Prison Context • Physical environment of prison • Prison culture • Maintaining a sense of self • Connection to outside/isolation • Expressing Emotion • Control • Going Home • Reintegration Leave • Home to Stay

12. Effect of Prison Environment on All Women’s Mental Health & Wellbeing • Physical environment • Limited space to self • Hard to make a space feel like your own • Prison Culture • Practices & Expectations • Officers/Corrective Services • ‘Management’ of women • Other Women

13. Effect of Prison Environment on All Women’s Mental Health & Wellbeing • Maintaining a Sense of Self • Holding onto values and beliefs • Isolation • Family & Friends • Expressing Emotion • Limits and consequences

14. Effect of Prison Environment on All Women’s Mental Health & Wellbeing • Control • Internal and external • Going Home • Reintegration Leave • Home to stay

15. Supporting Women who have been through the prison system. • Women Direct Counselling & Support • Create a Safe Space • Respect • Difficulty of Day-to-day tasks • Awareness of control over decisions • Exploration and redefinition of roles and identity • Wariness of systems • Reluctance to trust • Isolation