Women in Prison and Mental Health: How We Can Make a Difference

At Novus we understand the vital role education, training and enrichment play in rehabilitation, helping women in prison build confidence, develop new skills and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health struggles are widely reported throughout prisons with around 82% of women and 59% of men in prison reporting that they have mental health problems. 

With a significant portion of female prisoners experiencing mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to complex trauma and personality disorders, it’s crucial that we address these challenges this includes access to meaningful education that can positively impact mental health and wellbeing, build self-esteem and offer a pathway to rehabilitation. 
 

Mental health challenges faced by women in prison 

Women in prison face or have faced many challenges that contribute to poor mental health such as:

Trauma 

The majority of women in custody have faced significant trauma before their imprisonment such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), domestic abuse, exploitation or substance misuse. 

Lack of contact with friends and family 

Being away from their children and loved ones can have a devastating impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing as well as have a negative impact on their rehabilitation. 

High rates of mental health disorders

Women in prison have higher rates of mental health problems compared to the general population, with common conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, personalist disorders and psychosis.  

Improving mental health for women in prison

Prioritising mental health in women’s prisons is essential for their successful rehabilitation and at Novus we provide education programmes and initiatives that can have a positive impact on a learner’s mental health and wellbeing. 

Tailored education programmes for women

Women have significant barriers to entry into education from shorter sentences to the lack of confidence in taking part in education. Which is why at Novus we are constantly tailoring our prison education provision to be inclusive for all learners. There are various prison education programmes that we offer to women in prison including academic and vocational courses. 

Since women who participate in educational programmes while in prison are more likely to find employment after release and less likely to reoffend, we encourage our female learners to participate in our vocational courses to gain industry specific skills, training and useful qualifications.
 

Celebrating women's voices - Speak Out project with Dash Arts and HMP Styal 

Learners at HMP Styal had the exciting opportunity to work with Dash Arts on their Speech! Speech! Project. The workshops that ran at HMP Styal included speech writing, how to perform/deliver speeches, short (anonymous) interviews for the Public House Podcast, group workshops, and using a variety of acting and drama techniques to find the most effective ways to deliver a speech. 

The aim of the workshops was to playfully and theatrically provide our learners with the tools to speak up about the things that are important to them, with the learners speaking about important topics such as mental health, wellbeing and education. 

The project culminated in an event at HOME, where attendees had the opportunity to hear some of the speeches that had been produced in the workshops that ran across the country with different groups and communities. 

One of the speakers, included a former Novus learner, who had participated in the project at HMP Styal, advocating on the subject of education support for those that need it. She spoke about how her dyslexia was diagnosed in education at HMP Styal and how her life could have been different if she had received support earlier in her life. 

The workshops that were run in collaboration with Dash Arts at HMP Styal gave Novus learners opportunities and skills that many of them haven't ever had and that will make a real difference to their lives on release.

Supporting family ties 

Maintaining positive relationships with family whilst in prison is crucial for a learner’s successful rehabilitation. According to a recent HMIP Report, 94% of women said that seeing and speaking to family and friends was important in helping them cope in prison, highlighting the importance of maintaining family ties whilst in prison. 

At Novus, we run a variety of family engagement programmes, so that learners can spend time with their families and maintain their support system which will positively contribute to their successful rehabilitation. 
 

Little Angels Theatre Production at HMP Risley and HMP Styal

Learners at HMP Risley and HMP Styal had the exciting opportunity to take part in the ‘Welcome’ project from the Little Angels theatre production. HOME Manchester were given the opportunity to host the ‘Welcome’ project at 12 of their community groups, giving Novus two of them which we ran at HMP Risley and HMP Styal. 
 

Each site arranged a family learning day where learners could interact with their children and spend time with them during the day . Being apart from family and friends can have a detrimental impact on a learner’s mental health and wellbeing, however, by hosting family days at HMP Risley and HMP Styal, learners were able to spend time with their families, having a positive impact on their wellbeing and helping to maintain family support whilst in prison.  

On each of the family days the sites:

• Ran and hosted the show
• Did craft activities 
• Gifted books for families to enjoy
• Provided refreshments

Wellbeing events and activities 

Across many of our Novus education departments, colleagues host wellbeing events and/or activities for awareness days and events such as mental health awareness week. It’s essential that we provide the information, skills and support strategies necessary to educate learners about their mental health and wellbeing. So, that whilst in prison and upon release, they are able to put the correct steps in place to ensure they are looking after themselves and get help if/when they need it.

A focus on wellbeing at HMP Askham Grange 

In the Novus education department at the female prison, HMP Askham Grange, wellbeing has been an integral focus of their enrichment programme. From January to April 2025, learners and teachers engaged in a variety of activities to foster a deeper understanding of the importance of good physical and mental health. 

How Novus supports mental health for women in prison

Prioritising mental health in women’s prisons is essential for rehabilitation and through education we can provide female learners an outlet that can have a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing. At Novus we try to engage as many learners as possible in our education provision as well as intervention and engagement programmes which all contribute to supporting women with their mental health and wellbeing whilst in prison. 

To learn more about our education provision and the opportunities we provide for learners, take a look at the news section.