Positive Approaches to Behaviour Change in Prison: Effects on Prisoner and Staff Wellbeing

*This is a KESS 2 East scholarship opportunity. Please note the eligibility information in the advert text or contact the team for further information.*

To see full details of this project visit: http://kess2.ac.uk/21426/

Here is an exciting opportunity to study a method which could lead to new approaches for improving outcomes for prisoners and the corrections staff who work with them.

The selected candidate will apply their behaviour analytic skills and ambition to facilitate the design and implementation of positive approaches to behaviour change in a Class B prison environment. This research opportunity will allow the student to develop transferable knowledge and skills in this most exciting and active field of behaviour analysis.

This Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) project will be held in the Faculty Life Sciences and Education at the University of South Wales. KESS is a programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) awarded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in the Welsh Government. The project will focus on the social and economic impacts of supporting prisoners to engage in prosocial behaviour and educational opportunities, as well as how those interventions affect prison staff.

The project is backed by G4S, who is the world’s leading global, integrated security company specialising in the delivery of security and related services across six continents. The research will be conducted at HMP Parc, which is a Class B prison housing nearly 1600 male inmates.

The programme of research will involve a systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies for managing in-custody behaviour, combined with a review of behaviour management policies and procedures at HMP Parc. The PhD student will use existing prison data to track key indicators (e.g., prisoner on prisoner assaults, property destruction, staff absenteeism), as well as developing additional measurement strategies to capture other important organisational factors (e.g., prisoner and staff perceptions of the prison environment). The PhD student also will work collaboratively with prison staff to develop positive behaviour interventions, to support their implementation across the estate, and to evaluate their effects on prisoner and staff behaviour.

Studentship:
The studentship will cover the fees for a full-time PhD programme and pay a stipend of circa £14k p.a. There is also around £9k project support costs available for consumables, travel, minor equipment, training (including the KESS Grad School) and conference attendance.
The position is available from 1st January 2019.

Eligibility of Student:
To be eligible to hold a KESS studentship, you must:
• have a home address in East Wales area (details below)* at the time of registration.
• have the right to take up paid work in the East Wales area* on completion of the scholarship.
• be classified by the University as ‘home’ or ‘EU’ for tuition fees purposes according to the University’s guidelines.
• satisfy University of South Wales’s admissions criteria: see below, qualifications and experience and application process

*East Wales area covers: Vale of Glamorgan / Cardiff/ Newport/ Monmouthshire/ Powys/ Wrexham/ Flintshire

Eligible applicants will:
• Have an MSc in Behaviour Analysis (with Distinction or Merit)
• Have experience applying behaviour analysis with challenging behaviour
• Possess a good understanding of behaviour analytic research methods and statistical analysis
• Be highly self-motivated, with capacity to learn and develop advanced behaviour analytic skill in a complex environment
• Have well-developed and positively collaborative interpersonal skills
• Have an ability to deliver technical reports and communicate findings
• Be willing to travel and work in prison settings

Application Process:

To download an application package, please visit: http://gro.southwales.ac.uk/studentships/KESSII/participant/

For any queries on eligibility, please contact: KESS Team at Research and Innovation Services, University of South Wales: [Email Address Removed] Tel: 01443 482578

For informal enquiries or further programme information, please contact: Professor Jennifer Austin ([Email Address Removed]).

Further information at:
http://staff.southwales.ac.uk/users/1331-jlaustin

Closing date for applications: midnight Sunday 28th October 2018
Interviews will be held w/c (TBC)