Prison Service Delivery Beyond Lockdown: Lessons Learned from People in Prison and Staff in the Offender Personality Disorders Pathway During COVID-19

Broome, LJ, Dagnall, R, Maruna, S, O'Meara, A, Lewis, C, Gillespie, SM, Jones, A ORCID: 0000-0001-5951-889X, Tonkin, MJ and Davies, J (2026) Prison Service Delivery Beyond Lockdown: Lessons Learned from People in Prison and Staff in the Offender Personality Disorders Pathway During COVID-19. Criminal Justice and Behavior. ISSN 0093-8548

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Abstract

The Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (OPDP) in England and Wales supports individuals in prison with complex interpersonal and emotional regulation needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this population faced heightened vulnerability, while prison officers encountered health risks, staffing shortages, and increased psychological strain. To explore how people living and working in prison coped under these conditions, 24 people in prison and 10 officers involved in OPDP services across English prisons participated in semi-structured interviews between 2021 and 2023. Using reflexive thematic analysis we generated four themes: (a) From Cohesion to Disconnection; (b) Bridging Divides: Finding Empathy in Crisis; (c) Contrasting Reflections: Growth and Strain; and (d) Support Gaps in Time of Crisis. The pandemic intensified existing challenges, but relational practices in the OPDP helped buffer its worst effects. Findings underscore the importance of trauma-informed communication, reflective leadership, and staff training to sustain relational safety and resilience during future system-wide crises in prison.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1602 Criminology; 1701 Psychology; 1801 Law; Criminology; 4402 Criminology; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology; 5203 Clinical and health psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV7231 Criminal Justice Administrations H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV8301 Penology. Prisons. Corrections
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	SAGE
Date of acceptance:	2 February 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	10 March 2026
Date Deposited:	10 Mar 2026 15:48
Last Modified:	10 Mar 2026 15:48
DOI or ID number:	10.1177/00938548261424375
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28228

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