Custodial Impact Summary
Rooted in Resilience – Custodial Impact Summary
Rooted in Resilience is a trauma-informed therapeutic intervention delivered within custody settings for young men who have often experienced significant trauma, gang affiliation, emotional neglect, social exclusion, and limited access to therapeutic support. Many participants had never previously engaged in therapy or emotionally reflective group work before joining the programme.
The programme works with young men located within complex custodial environments where opportunities for emotional support, therapeutic engagement, and structured developmental workshops can often be limited. Despite these challenges, the programme demonstrated consistently high levels of engagement, emotional reflection, behavioural progression, and therapeutic trust amongst participants.
- Many participants progressed from higher-risk units into more socially integrated environments
- Most participants avoided further violent or aggressive incidents during programme involvement
- Several participants achieved enhanced status and improved behaviour
The majority of participants described their experience of the programme positively, with many highlighting the importance of feeling heard, respected, emotionally safe, and understood.
The programme demonstrated strong levels of emotional engagement, reflective participation, behavioural progression, and therapeutic trust amongst participants.
Many participants requested continued involvement following programme completion, with additional referrals and recommendations emerging from multiple areas across the prison.
Participant testimonials
“Makes me understand more in different angles.”
“It can help people get to know themselves a lot better.”
“I felt relaxed.”
“How she encouraged everyone to take part.”
“Very amazing listening to us and talking us in.”
Summary
Rooted in Resilience demonstrates strong potential as a culturally informed, trauma-responsive therapeutic intervention within custodial settings. The programme supports emotional regulation, reflective thinking, identity exploration, behavioural engagement, and relational safety for young men who may otherwise struggle to access therapeutic support.