Not All Birds Can Fly: My Winter as a Prison Nurse

BACKGROUND: Rates of incarcerated young people are low in the UK. Yet hundreds of children remain in custody for violent and sexual offences. The prison system presents multiple obstacles for delivering effective nursing care, including a restrictive environment, a lack of positive male role models, and histories of trauma. PURPOSE: This article reflects on my placement at a young offender's institution. It explores the woundedness of the young people, the staff, and the challenges of working in such a desolate space. It also considers how nursing must navigate the moral ambiguity of caring for patients with a history of violence, as well as the dangers of hyper-masculine cultures. METHOD: This is a first-person narrative that weaves together observations of prison life. All geographic and biographic details have been altered. FINDINGS: Holding a space of acceptance is vital to delivering compassionate nursing in prison. The nurse must constantly work alongside moral ambiguity and in an environment designed to punish rather than care. Positive male role models are vital for challenging the misogynistic cultures many boys grow up in.