‘Taking time’: Using Archaeology to Develop Policies Around the Mental and Physical Health of Older People in Custody

Abstract

PAMHOP (The Physical And Mental Health of Older Prisoners) is an inter- and transdisciplinary project funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project has two principal aims: to better understand the physical and common mental health needs of older people within the criminal justice system; and to assess the implementation of some novel tailored interventions that might benefit this community and shape policy, thus reducing costs for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). One intervention was a historic environment project that involved map-based landscape regression, and historic building recording work. This paper describes this intervention and assesses its impacts, including those related to policy.