London Pathways Unit (LPU) HMP Brixton

  • The London Pathways Unit (LPU) at HMP Brixton is a service for individuals with a history of longstanding emotional and relationship difficulties – sometimes called personality difficulties – that are linked to their offending. The service aims to support individuals who are ‘stuck’ in their sentence, or have been recalled, to progress safely towards release or open conditions. The LPU is for Category C individuals who meet OPD Pathway criteria. The service is open to determinate and indeterminate sentenced individuals who are within two years of release, progression to open conditions, or parole, and where completion of treatment on the LPU is likely to support a progressive move. The LPU has its own specially trained prison officers and clinical staff, who work alongside each other to build meaningful relationships with service users, developing an understanding of each individual’s strengths, needs and difficulties. Each service user is allocated a keyworker (personal officer) and a clinician (psychological therapist, clinical practitioner or occupational therapist) who form their ‘keywork team’, and individualised treatment plans are developed based on their outstanding treatment needs. Regular individual keywork sessions are central to the work, alongside psychologically-informed groups and activities. The LPU is a residential unit which is integrated into the wider prison, and service users have access to the employment, training and education opportunities offered by HMP Brixton.

  • Address: HMP Brixton,  Jebb Avenue, Brixton, SW2 5XF
  • Reception phone number: 0208 588 6007/6365

How to contact this service

Email: elft.lpubrixtonreferrals@nhs.net

We aim to respond to all emails within 5 working days.

Phone: 0208 588 6007/6302

Parking/Transport: The nearest tube station is Brixton. Bus routes include: 45, 59, 159, 133, 333, 250, 109 & 118. There is some parking on site, and bicycle storage spaces are also available.

Our team

The service is run jointly by a clinical and operational lead.

Clinical Lead: Dr Mandy Brar

Operational Lead: Augustine Obiekwe

The team is made up of clinical and operational staff, including: consultant forensic psychiatrist, psychologists, art therapist, occupational therapist, senior prison officers and prison officers.

What does our service do?

The LPU provides a range of treatment and support interventions aiming to assist people in prison by means of a psychologically-informed understanding of their particular difficulties and risk, and a relational context that enables them to develop a meaningful and realistic desistance plan. Each service user has an assessment, case formulation and sentence/treatment plan which:

  • Enables staff to have a better understanding of the individual, their risk factors and effective management strategies
  • Helps service users to better understand their risk scenarios and develop strategies to manage their risks
  • Helps service users actively engage in evidence-based, group and/or individualised treatment activities focused on improving their personality difficulties and antisocial behaviours
  • Ensures service users participate in regular constructive, pro-social living activities that are designed to reflect likely experiences in the community
  • Helps develop appropriate interpersonal relationships between service users and staff which model skills required in the community
  • Supports service users in engaging appropriately and developing constructive relationships with family, friends, probation and important others, where appropriate.
  • Regular key work sessions with a keyworker (personal officer) and clinician (psychologist, clinical practitioner or occupational therapist) are central to the work. The service is integrated into the rest of the prison, and service users are supported to access employment, training and education opportunities in the wider prison
  • Courses are arranged into 4 phases:
    • Phase 1: introduction to the Pathways approach and psycho-education
    • Phase 2: skills development
    • Phase 3: developing self-awareness
    • Phase 4: preparing for progression
  • Service users will have the opportunity to build a working relationship with their probation practitioner whilst on the LPU. Probation practitioners will be closely involved in their pathway, and will support their progression through the system.
  • Contact with probation practitioners happens in the form of visits, video links, telephone conferences and letters. These discussions include collaborating on treatment and sentence planning, considering together how risk may be managed if the individual is able to progress into an open conditions environment or into the community, and liaising with external community and custodial services.  

Who is this service for?

The LPU is designed for high-risk high-harm individuals who have complex needs arising from pervasive psychological difficulties (which may meet the criteria for personality disorder), who have a realistic prospect of release or a progressive move within two years, and whose progression and safe release into the community is complicated by their personality difficulties. It is designed for service users over the age of 21, and has 36 single cells.

Criteria for referral:

  • The case is held by the Probation Service in London, or Nationwide with a release plan presented at time of referral 
  • Screens into the OPD pathway
  • Category C prisoner
  • On a determinate sentence, in the last 9 months to two years of their sentence
  • On an indeterminate sentence, where there is a strong likelihood the parole board will recommend a progressive move within two years and it is clear how placement on the LPU can facilitate this progression.
  • Referrals can be made by probation practitioners