December 2008

Bereavement in the Secure Setting - new briefing paper published

4 December 2008

CBN has published a new briefing paper, revealing that bereavement is a major - but often overlooked - issue for young people in secure settings. Studies show that rates of bereavement for young people involved in the criminal justice system are higher than in the general population. At least 17% of persistent young offenders have been bereaved of a parent, compared to just 4% of 11 to 16 year olds nationwide.

Alison Penny, CBN’s Coordinator, said ‘Grief can make young people feel very vulnerable and being away from family and friends in a secure setting can make it seem worse. One young person told us “It’s harder being locked up because you don’t know who to talk or turn to”.

Sometimes they can’t go to the funeral of the person who has died, and missing this chance to say goodbye and join their grieving family can be very painful.’

Common reactions to bereavement such as sadness and anger can lead to self-harm, aggression or withdrawal – behaviour that can be particularly difficult to manage in secure settings. Staff can feel anxious about providing support: worried about making things worse or about getting overwhelmed themselves.

The CBN briefing suggests that appropriate and well-timed support combined with a safe environment and well-trained staff can help young people to manage the impact of death on their lives, both in secure settings and on release.

Based on suggestions made by staff and young people, the briefing provides simple checklists and practical suggestions for finding out what support bereaved young people need in custody, and making sure they get it.

Download the briefing [pdf 124kb]

Statistics taken from Vaswani, N (2008) Persistent Offender Profile: Focus on Bereavement. Criminal Justice Social Work Development Centre for Scotland Briefing 13 and from Harrison, L and Harrington, R (2001) 'Adolescents' bereavement experiences. Prevalence, association with depressive symptoms, and use of services' Journal of Adolescence, 24, 2, 159-69.