Abstract
This chapter will assess the scale of the problem of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in UK prisons and the impact they have on prisoner mental health. The influx of NPS across UK prisons is exacerbating prisoner mental health, with the number of NPS-related deaths and suicides in prisons increasing year on year. The long- and short-term effects of NPS on mental health will be examined alongside indirect effects such as bullying, debt, violence and treatment dropout. Semi-structured interviews and surveys with prisoners and prison service providers, interventions designed to target NPS use, and findings from existing literature will be analysed to provide a comprehensive picture of the problem of NPS and prisoner mental health, and what more can be done to improve the situation.
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Moyes, H. (2018). How Do New Psychoactive Substances Affect the Mental Health of Prisoners?. In: Mills, A., Kendall, K. (eds) Mental Health in Prisons. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94090-8_6
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