Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perspectives of prisoners and prison staff in relation to mental wellbeing and the negotiation of barriers to accessing and providing support. This small-scale study includes the experiences of 11 prison staff and 9 prisoners within a Category D male prison. Design/methodology/approach A focus group was conducted with the prisoners and interviews with prison staff. Thematic analysis identified three core themes: “context enabling factors”, “barriers to accessing support for mental wellbeing” and “peer support roles”. Findings Prisoners conveyed a reluctance in reporting mental health issues due to the fear of being transferred to closed conditions. All staff indicated the benefits of peer support roles. Research limitations/implications Further research is required on a wider scale, as it is acknowledged that the findings of this study are from one prison and may not apply to other settings. Although there are barriers that may impact the reporting of mental wellbeing issues, there may be small relational steps that can be taken to address these. Originality/value Few studies exist that explore the nuances and barriers within open prisons, perhaps due to the overwhelming need within closed conditions. A context-specific approach considering early prevention strategies to support a safer prison system and successful rehabilitation is explored. The combination of prisoner and staff experiences is of value to both academia and policymakers.

中文翻译：

---

谈判壁垒：囚犯和工作人员在开放监狱环境中对心理健康的看法

目的本文的目的是探讨囚犯和监狱工作人员在心理健康以及就获取和提供支持的障碍进行谈判方面的观点。这项小型研究包括D类男性监狱中11名监狱工作人员和9名囚犯的经历。设计/方法/方法焦点小组与囚犯进行了访谈，并对监狱工作人员进行了采访。专题分析确定了三个核心主题：“情境支持因素”，“获得心理健康支持的障碍”和“同伴支持角色”。结论由于担心被转移到封闭的条件下，囚犯不愿报告心理健康问题。所有员工都指出了同伴支持角色的好处。研究局限性/含义需要更广泛的研究，众所周知，这项研究的结果来自一个监狱，可能不适用于其他地方。尽管存在可能影响心理健康问题报告的障碍，但可以采取一些小的关系性步骤来解决这些问题。创造力/价值很少有研究探索开放监狱内的细微差别和障碍，这可能是由于封闭条件下的巨大需求所致。探索了一种考虑到早期预防策略以支持更安全的监狱系统和成功康复的针对具体情况的方法。囚犯和工作人员经验的结合对学术界和决策者都具有价值。可能会采取一些小的关系步骤来解决这些问题。创造力/价值很少有研究探索开放监狱内的细微差别和障碍，这可能是由于封闭条件下的巨大需求所致。探索了一种考虑到早期预防策略以支持更安全的监狱系统和成功康复的针对具体情况的方法。囚犯和工作人员经验的结合对学术界和决策者都具有价值。可能会采取一些小的关系步骤来解决这些问题。创造力/价值很少有研究探索开放监狱内的细微差别和障碍，这可能是由于封闭条件下的巨大需求所致。探索了一种考虑到早期预防策略以支持更安全的监狱系统和成功康复的针对具体情况的方法。囚犯和工作人员经验的结合对学术界和决策者都具有价值。