As part of our commitment to reducing suicide, we train prisoners to provide emotional support to their peers, by becoming 'Listeners'. This September marks the 30th anniversary of our award-winning Listener Scheme.
People in prison are significantly more likely to die by suicide than people in the general population. In 2018 alone, there were 92 self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales. At Samaritans, we see the enormous scale of emotional distress in prisons - last year alone we provided emotional support to people in prison more than 300,000 times. We also see the wide range of concerns that underpin their distress.
Samaritans' volunteers work with prison staff to select and train people in prison who have shown an interest in becoming a Listener. Listeners are prisoners who provide confidential emotional support to their peers who are struggling to cope or feeling suicidal. On completion of their training, Listeners receive a certificate and agree to follow Samaritans' policies and values. Listeners receive regular support and meet often with Samaritans volunteers.
The first Listener scheme was introduced at HMP Swansea in 1991. Now there are Listeners in almost every prison in the UK. Samaritans supported people in prison 332,974 times in 2018. "Because of the Listener scheme, the prison service has at its disposal an incredible tool that can and does make a difference for those contemplating suicide and self-harm in prison." Alex Audain, released Listener.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
