PhD position: An exploration of peer support in prison in Scotland for people who use or have used drugs (project ID SAS0192)

About the Project

This PhD seeks to examine the lived experience of those involved in the provision, and receipt, of peer support in prison for people who have used or are continuing to use drugs.

While estimating levels and nature of drug use in prisons is complex, available evidence reveals that problem drug use ‘features prominently in the profiles of people entering prison in Scotland’ (Toomey, et al., 2022: 5). People in prison are more likely to have a substance use challenge than to not have one, and these challenges often pre-date custodial sentences, and then can continue during an individual’s prison sentence (Perkins et al., 2022). There is increasing concern about Scotland’s high rate of drug-related death (National Records of Scotland, 2023). These public health concerns are magnified in the prison context due to the health vulnerabilities this group already experience (Perkins et al., 2022), and the state’s duty of care to everyone in its custody (Armstrong et al., 2024). Furthermore, efforts in prison to promote rehabilitation or desistance from offending are interconnected with people’s recovery from substance use (Coleman and Vander Laenen, 2012).

Healthcare and mental healthcare in prison remains extremely stretched and, in many cases, unable to meet the considerable demand which exists (HMIPS, 2023; Perkins et al., 2022). Therefore, additional support has been provided by different forms of peer support which operate throughout the estate. There are examples of formal and informal peer-support in evidence, ranging from trained volunteers in the community who provide support in regular sessions in prison, to ‘recovery cafes’ where people with shared experiences of drug use (whether in the present or the past) can provide informal support to each other in the recovery journey (for an overview see Toomey et al., 2022).  Peer support comes with a range of benefits but also challenges for peers including role confusion, lack of remuneration and pay, and the experience of stigmatising attitudes (Miler et al., 2020). Peer support in the prison environment is likely to come with these, alongside prison-specific challenges, including the risk of exploitation, inadequate training and support (Buck et al., 2023) and others identified by the Scottish Drugs Forum (2023) pilot evaluation of the peer supply naloxone project in Scottish prisons.  

Within prison, harm reduction approaches (such as OST and naloxone provision) stand at odds with a system of sanctions and incentives for abstinence. This reflects wider societal tensions between harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches in the context of drug prohibition (Fotopoulou and Aston, 2023). The tension between prohibition and a public health approach to drugs in prison has been recently noted by HMIPS who argue ‘the current punitive approach enshrined in the Prison Rules is neither in step with current medical model thinking nor effective in preventing drug deaths’ (HMIPS, 2023).

Recent research conducted by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research identified a scarcity of qualitative research on drug use in Scottish prisons, as well as a gap in knowledge on the availability of psychosocial interventions (such as peer support) in Scotland’s prison estate (Toomey et al., 2022).  This PhD therefore seeks to fill this gap to understand how forms of peer support operate in the wider system of sanctioning for drug use in Scotland.

Research Questions:

·        What are the different forms of peer support available to people who use drugs in Scottish prisons, and what are their characteristics?

·        What is the lived experience of people who provide peer support in prison?

·        What is the lived experience of those who receive peer support in prison?

Methods:

·        Mapping of peer support in Scotland’s prisons for those who use or have used drugs.

·        National strategic analysis via policy documents and interviews with recovery officers across Scotland.

·        Case study approach with qualitative in-depth study in one or two prisons involving qualitative interviews with those delivering and in receipt of peer support.

This PhD is hosted by the Social Sciences group in Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Applied Sciences, in which there is a vibrant research culture with recognised expertise in criminological research, including the interface between justice and public health. Our membership of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) means that this PhD would be part of a wider community of Post Graduate Research students across Scotland, and exposed to numerous forms of development and support that SCCJR provides. Social Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University has a strong record of impact, hosts the Scottish Institute of Policing Research (SIPR), and also actively engages with Drugs Research Network Scotland.

The successful applicant would therefore be in a strong position to develop their cross-institutional academic networks, as well as connections with key organisations in the wider justice and health landscape.  

Academic qualifications

A degree (at least a 2.1) ideally in social sciences with a good fundamental knowledge of criminology.

English language requirement

IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University’s policy are available online.

Essential attributes:

·        Experience of conducting qualitative social research  

·        Competent in social research methods and analysis

·        Knowledge of academic literature on drug use, peer support, prisons

·        Good written and oral communication skills

·        Strong motivation and excellent time management

Desirable attributes:

·        Experience of conducting independent social research

·        Experience of working with vulnerable populations

·        Research methods knowledge at postgraduate level