The experience of stress, coping and support for prison officer negotiators in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service

Purpose: Negotiation is an established strategy used by the police and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to manage serious incidents. Whilst the literature acknowledges the role of the negotiator to be stressful, little is known about the experience of stress and the coping strategies used by negotiators when undertaking this role. This is particuarly true for negotiators who work in prisons. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience of negotiators working in a prison setting. 

Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 prison officer negotiators based in public sector prisons in the North West of England. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. 

Findings: Four overarching themes were identified relating to stressors; the experience of stress; use of coping strategies; and use of support. An underlying theme was identified relating to negotiating within the structure of a prison regime. 

Practical implications: People involved in the management of serious incidents should be familiar with the negotiator role. Debriefing negotiators after a lone deployment and offering support to negotiators in the days following an incident is critical for staff well-being. Further, record keeping from the perspective of the negotiator should become formalised. 

Originality/value: This paper contributes new insights into the management of serious incidents and the negotiator experience in prisons in England and Wales.