2025-01-15
22 分钟This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.
This is the documentary from the BBC World Service.
So I've just got home after a really long day on one of the secure psychiatric wards that I was working.
I'm Jenny Okolo.
I'm an occupational therapist and I work specifically in psychiatry.
In the uk, I tried out a sensory group.
I help people that might be suffering from mental health issues such as psychosis, depression or eating disorders.
I brought some of my essential oils and I research how to create your own stress ball.
I work specifically in forensic mental health.
That's mental health that intersects with our justice system and how some of these essential oils can help calm.
I want to dismantle the idea that committing a crime means your life is over.
I've always looked into why and how we can support people instead.
One of the guys gave me some feedback and said, actually, Miss, this was really nice.
Like, I've never considered this before.
In many countries around the world, prison populations are exploding.
Prisons in the UK are so full that prisoners are being released early, while the United States has the highest prison population in the world.
But in some European countries, something strange is happening.
Prisons are closing and reoffending rates are down as well.
It's all thanks to a new way of thinking about prisons and prisoners.
It's really about assuming that the people who are locked up are human beings.