Prisoners as patients. The experience of delivering mental health nursing care in an Australian prison

Correctional or prison mental health nursing is a highly specialized area of practice that has undergone substantive role development in recent years. However, little research has explored aspects of prison-based nursing practice or practice arrangements. The experience of delivering mental health nursing care in prison can be disempowering, resulting in feelings of frustration, isolation, and stigma. In developed nations, prison mental health nurses face the rewarding challenge of gaining greater recognition for the specialized nature of their practice and their key role in the correctional and criminal justice continuum.