Background Prisoners experience bereavement at a much higher rate than the general population and are likely to have suffered many losses, both prior to and as part of their sentences (Hunt. Prison Serv J. 2021; 254: 17–23). Hospice UK (Dying behind bars. 2021) emphasizes the unique expertise of hospices in providing bereavement care. With this in mind the project aimed to assess the impact of specialist bereavement services in a local prison.

Aim To establish and assess the impact of bereavement support in a male prison, identify best practice and future research.

Method A project team of hospice and prison staff and prison mentors formed to design and launch the service including the recruitment of three specialist counsellors. A range of bereavement care options were made available both individually and in groups with the later development of an art installation and a memorial garden. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected for further analysis.

Results A total of 370 counselling and group sessions were delivered between February 2023 and January 2024. Through narrative analysis (Josselson & Hammack. Essentials of narrative analysis. APA; 2021) key impacts on the experience of grief in prison are identified and shared. Images and experiences from the art project and memorial gardens are also included to demonstrate wider context, impact and methods, together with wider learning about the challenges of working within the prison system.

Conclusion Specialist bereavement support breaks the destructive experience of historical and newly experienced grief in prison and profoundly changes lives and futures. The following quote is an example of the many we will present:

‘For the first time in 20 years I have spoken my daughter’s name – That is life changing. I can be a better man. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart.’