Reasonable adjustments
How to read the stories

Reasonable adjustments

What might prisoners with learning disabilities find difficult?

Prison is a confusing place for many people. It can be frightening if you do not understand how ‘the system’ works.

Reading prison information and filling in forms can be hard. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right words when people want to say something, or to understand what staff say. It can be hard to remember and follow instructions and rules. Lots of forms have to be filled in to apply for visits, to access health care, and to choose meals. People in prison use unfamiliar words or words that mean something different from their usual meaning outside prison.

What could you do as an individual member of staff, if you think a prisoner might have a learning disability?

You could make sure the person is given information in a way that suits them. You could give them a copy of this book, and the easy read Information book for prisoners with a disability (see Useful resources). They may need help to read these materials, and in reading them together you would learn a lot about how much the prisoner understands.

You could suggest who else they can talk to, such as a ‘listener’ or a chaplain, and where they can get other useful information, for example, at the library.

What can a prison do for prisoners who have learning disabilities?

Prisons have duties under the Equality Act 2010 (covering England, Scotland and Wales) to make sure that disabled people are treated fairly. Treating disabled people fairly may mean making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the way services work, for example:

to clarify the roles and responsibilities of different departments within the prison and their links with external agencies
to ensure that there is a system for all departments within the prison to share knowledge about a person with a disability (for example, how to communicate with them)
to develop and agree a pathway for prisoners who have learning disabilities
to arrange learning disability awareness training for all staff working within the prison, no matter which organisation employs them
to ensure that easy read or pictorial information is available, for example, to explain prison rules
to ensure that different departments, such as education, are ready to offer adapted versions of their programmes.

Reasonable adjustments may need to be personalised; for example, a prisoner who has a learning disability and is on the autistic spectrum might need a very specific plan about how staff should interact with him to ensure that all departments follow a consistent approach.

How to read the stories

There is no right or wrong way to read the stories.

Some people are not used to reading stories. Start at the beginning and read the story in each picture. Encourage the reader to move through the pages at their own pace.
Encourage the person to tell the story in their own words. You will discover what they think is happening, what they already know, and how they feel. If you are using the pictures to help explain a procedure to someone, you may need to describe or clarify the actions being shown in each picture to help them understand. Try not to challenge the reader(s) or suggest their ideas are wrong.
Some pictures may be more difficult to understand. It can help to prompt the people you are supporting, for example:
• Who do you think that is?
• What is happening?
• How is he or she feeling?
• Do you feel like that? Has it happened to you/ your friend/ your family?
Allow people enough time to follow the pictures at their own pace. Allow time for discussion of each picture.
Some people may benefit from reading the larger story from which the extract has been taken. This will allow them to explore their feelings and experiences in more depth. To buy the complete book, follow the link to the bookshop that appears at the end of the story.