Working in a justice setting

Bernadette Clifford, an SLT and practice educator from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, shares her insights about working in the justice system and what students can expect from a similar placement

Speech and language therapists work in settings across the country, some better known than others. The justice system is complex, with multiple different levels, working with many different types of people and the need for speech and language therapy within these settings is only increasing.

I work for Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust across two locations, providing three days a week in a community learning disability team and one day a week in an adult men’s prison.  I can take students into the prison with me on a maximum of three occasions, subject to security clearance. It’s really encouraging that students from a number of universities have already accepted this rare opportunity to accompany me.

“If people don’t know about these sectors it will be very difficult for us to continue to grow the workforce in these ‘specialist’ areas. Hopefully in another 20 years all students will have teaching in this field, placements will be commonplace, and it will no longer be thought of as a niche specialism.” – Dr Kim Turner, Manchester Metropolitan University

The speech and language therapy service in the prison is part of the integrated mental health team, so covers people with a diagnosed learning disability and/or a mental health issue. The service is relatively new – beginning in April 2022.

Many people who have not been into a prison setting have preconceptions about what it is like and may not understand the value a SLT can bring. It is very unlikely that these preconceptions will resemble the reality!

View from a student

“I was fortunate to have an incredible practice educator, who was really supportive, and always happy to answer my endless questions and discuss the role of the speech and language therapy within criminal justice. Going into the placement, I think it’s important to understand that the individuals you will work with have often had difficult lives, with a lack of support and understanding.

One potential challenge as a speech and language therapy student in this setting, is feeling pressured to stick rigidly to the session you have planned, when you want to demonstrate clinical knowledge and skill to the practice educator. It can feel a bit deflating if there’s been a bit of a wait to meet with someone, and then they choose to leave the session early.  This highlighted to me that it’s more about understanding the person, and the importance of building therapeutic relationships.”

Debi Street (BSc SLT), Manchester Metropolitan University

The men I support are first and foremost people, with complex and often hidden, or unrecognised, communication needs. In a land of “no” and “not” a significant number of the prison population do not understand either of these concepts, so find themselves labelled as ‘awkward’ or ‘non-compliant’ and they are often involved in arguments and other altercations, which originate from misunderstandings. This means that the benefits of communication interventions in the prison are huge. Understanding and being understood changes people’s lives – the men, the officers and the wider multidisciplinary team.

If you are a student who has the opportunity to work within the criminal justice system, whether that be for a day, or your whole placement, I would encourage you to accept the opportunity. The most important thing to take with you is an open mind, but it is also useful to have some knowledge of the likely areas of need. You will need to be honest about any anxieties or concerns you have about the environment and ask questions. Your practice educator can help you with this.