Mental health support for people with lived experience of the justice system
2 Jun. 2026
By Caroline Nelson, Finance, Benefit and Debt Manager within Justice Services in the East Midlands and Personal Wellbeing Manager in Leicester
Providing mental health support for people with lived experience of the justice system (hereafter people with lived experience) can improve their chances of successfully re-entering communities.
People with lived experience can face various challenges when it comes to reintegrating back into society, such as:
- The stigma of being an ex-offender.
- A lack of up-to-date skills.
- Mental health struggles.
As a result, it’s important that mental health support is available for people with lived experience looking to return to society, as well as employers offering inclusive opportunities. Explore everything you need to know about supporting people with lived experience with their mental health.
What mental health challenges do people with lived experience face?
Those recently released from prison can experience a range of mental health conditions. Examples of these are:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Post-incarceration syndrome - this is where a range of psychological, emotional and social difficulties occur due to being in prison.
- Anxiety.
- Depression.
These mental health issues can cause breakdowns in relationships and prevent people from getting a job, reducing their chances of reintegrating into society and improving their lives. Desistance is the process of abstaining from crime by those with a previous pattern of offending. Research into
desistance from crime shows that moving away from offending is not a single event, but a gradual process of change that differs based on the individual.
There are five key areas that are recognised to help break the cycle of reoffending and support people’s mental health:
- Strong connections with family and community – Supportive relationships can reduce isolation, provide encouragement, and help individuals feel part of something positive.
- Meaningful employment – Work that feels worthwhile can build confidence, provide stability, and give individuals a sense of achievement beyond financial gain.
- Feeling valued and recognised by others – Being respected and trusted by employers, peers, and the wider community can help rebuild self-worth and confidence.
- Hope and belief in personal ability – Developing a sense of optimism and self efficacy enables individuals to see change as possible and motivates progress.
- A sense of purpose and direction – Having clear goals and meaning in life can help individuals move forward with intention and build a more stable future.
Together, these areas support both mental wellbeing and successful reintegration, recognising that recovery and long-term change require ongoing support, trust and opportunity.
The importance of providing mental health support
Providing mental health support can help people with lived experience take the right steps to live a crime-free life.
Once someone leaves prison they lose access to continuous health support, making it automatically more difficult for them to reintegrate into society successfully. Furthermore, not everyone who leaves prison will have a support network waiting to help them with their mental health struggles.
Leaving prison and re-entering society can be a huge adjustment and significantly affect an individual’s mental health. They may struggle with adjusting to social norms and expectations, as well as finding it difficult to apply for a job or find somewhere to live.
People with lived experience may also find themselves living in the same area they originally committed their offences. If this is an area populated with lots of crime it could be hard to turn their back on it and avoid re-offending. This can also have significant effects on their mental health due to the environment they are in and the things they may witness, such as violence that could cause unexpected mental health triggers.
When exiting prison, people may face feelings of shame due to not being around for family and friends, especially when it comes to their children. This can put an increased pressure on finding a job and providing for their family, putting greater strain on their mental health. This highlights why mental health support needs to be provided for people with lived experience to help them adjust to society and their personal relationships.
Gaining access to mental health services
Approximately 4 in 10 prisoners say they have mental health or wellbeing issues. During their sentence they receive help with this, but their mental health struggles don’t just disappear when they’re released from prison.
A lot of people struggle with the stigma around mental health and avoid seeking support. More should be done to stress the importance of gaining mental health support and how it can help them successfully rejoin society. It is important to promote the fact that it’s okay to receive the support needed and the positive impacts it will have on communities, helping family, friends and people with lived experience get on board with the idea.
Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) provide flexible, responsive services to help break the cycle of reoffending. Ingeus delivers this as part of the Ministry of Justice probation system in partnership with the probation service and our partners to support and enable successful rehabilitation.
CRS has four service areas tailored to key support needed by those on their journey to rehabilitation:
- Accommodation - This supports people to find/sustain accommodation and prevents homelessness.
- Personal wellbeing services - This covers social inclusion, lifestyle and associates, family and significant others and emotional wellbeing. It also provides tailored support to help those on probation build stronger, healthier relationships, improve wellbeing, develop their confidence and successfully integrate into communities.
- Finance, benefits and debt - This helps people overcome barriers to financial security, as well as avoiding debt, low income and disrupted access to benefits.
- Dependency and recovery - This provides a broad range of support for substance misuse and addiction.
Learn more about how Ingeus supports people with lived experience of the justice system through
Commissioned Rehabilitative Services and discover how the right support can help individuals rebuild confidence, improve mental wellbeing, and create lasting change for them and their communities.
Caroline Nelson is a Finance, Benefit and Debt Manager within Justice Services in the East Midlands and Personal Wellbeing Manager in Leicester. Caroline has worked in the justice sector for 7 years, starting with working in prisons and latterly in the community. Caroline is passionate about supporting the team's wellbeing and development to ensure the people on probation they support are receiving a high quality of service to develop themselves and move forward.
.png?width=1709&height=843&ext=.png)
.png?width=1165&height=190&ext=.png){kind=spacer}
Contact Us
