OPD Prison Services

The OPD CORE-OM Service is a relatively new provision at HMP Thameside and was introduced in January 2022. The service aims to provide a pathway of psychologically informed services for individuals who have historically been excluded from mainstream services due to being labelled with Personality Disorder (PD) and difficult to work with. More specifically, the provision offers targeted specialist advice to support offender management and sentence planning, taking account of complex psychosocial and criminogenic needs relating to personality difficulties. We work closely with Catch 22 and Probation in the Offender Management Unit, to identify individuals who are stuck in the system or finding it difficult to progress through their sentence / into the community due to personality issues. This may include lifers or IPPs who are over tariff and are finding it difficult to meet their sentence plan objectives, or individuals with other sentence types who find it difficult to stay out of prison and are frequently recalled, amongst other sub-groups. Individuals do not need a diagnosis of Personality Disorder to be eligible for the pathway. Rather, we focus on identifying and working alongside those with problematic personality traits which are linked to risk of harm or reoffending.

Address: HMP Thameside,  Griffin Way, London, SE28 0FJ

The outreach service supports men within High Down who screen on to the OPD pathway and who require additional support, either because of behaviour which is difficult to manage or because they are on indeterminate sentences and finding it difficult to make progress in the sentence plans.

Address: HMP High Down High Down Lane, Sutton, SM2 5PJ

This service is for Male prisoners who screen on to the OPD Pathway and who have additional learning difficulties

Address: HMP High Down High Down Lane, Sutton, SM2 5JP

The Provision PIPE offers support both for people in prison who struggle to participate in standard interventions, and those who are engaged in interventions. People in the pre-intervention phase will be offered the necessary preparation and support to enable them to engage in interventions. Those who are treatment ready may engage with the Pathways Treatment Service or be engaged in Offending Behaviour Programmes within the establishment, whilst resident on the Provision PIPE.

Address: HMP Swaleside,  Brabazon Road,  Isle of Sheppey, Kent, ME12 4AX

Pathways is a non-residential service, embedded within HMP/YOI Aylesbury. The team has a wide range of experience and occupations, offering a variety of interventions and services for the people in the service. The team work with the wider prison to help the service users cope with prison, progress through their sentence and prepare for transition onto other prisons or to the community. 

Address: HMP/YOI Aylesbury,  Bierton Road,  Bucks, Aylesbury, HP20 1EH

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

Pathways Enhanced Resettlement Service (PERS) is a small outreach service based at HMP Standford Hill that has been set up to support new residents who meet criteria for the OPD pathway. They are residents who for various reasons might struggle with the transition from closed to open conditions and with transition from open conditions to the community. The service is voluntary with residents who meet criteria opting in. It is not a mandatory service.

Address: PERS,  B Wing,  HMPS Standford Hill,  Church Road,  Eastchurch, Sheerness, ME12 4AA

Swaleside Outreach Service (SOS) is for offenders whose behaviour in HMP Swaleside is considered to be challenging, violent and/or disruptive. SOS aims to reduce the use of violence and disruptive behaviour using a number of different interventions. The individual’s needs are assessed, formulated and a management plan developed. SOS supports offenders to develop their strengths and move through their sentence, signposting to progressive pathways. The service also supports wing staff in understanding and supporting individuals who display challenging behaviour.

Address: HMP Swaleside,  Brabazon Road,  Isle of Sheppey, Kent, ME12 4AX

The Swaleside Pathways Service is for high-risk offenders with emotional relationship and behavioural difficulties that prevent them completing their sentence plans. It includes a Therapies Service; provision PIPE; and Outreach service (SOS). The Therapies Service offers intensive therapeutic support for prisoners who screen into the OPD pathway, who are able and motivated to address their emotional and interpersonal difficulties. The service is offered to men on the PIPE (see below) and also men who screen into the OPD Pathway but for some reason cannot access the PIPE. The service is based on models of attachment, trauma and desistence, and provides evidence-based, formulation-driven treatment for prisoners with pervasive psychological difficulties that may meet criteria for personality disorder. Intervention follows Livesley's model of treatment: graded phases with safety and relationship building at its core to engaging in work to address more pervasive and entrenched difficulties allowing for an intervention plan tailored to the individual's needs.

Address: HMP Swaleside,  Brabazon Road,  Isle of Sheppey, Kent, ME12 4AX