Prisoners: Gambling

(asked on 25th November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support is provided to prisoners with a gambling disorder whilst serving custodial sentences.


Answered by
Victoria Atkins Portrait
Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This question was answered on 3rd December 2021

In England and Wales, screening takes place to identify problem gamblers so they can receive appropriate support. Prisoners are seen by NHS healthcare services on reception and can be referred to addiction services to help address problem gambling, while in Probation there is a toolkit that can be used to address some of the areas of need associated with gambling. Regions may also commission additional services or additional staff training from specialist providers.

Following assessment, offenders in prison or probation may be eligible for an accredited offending behaviour programme (OBP) to address the issues that led to their offending. While not specifically designed to address problem gambling, there are programmes that aim to enable participants to be less impulsive and more flexible in their thinking, and that tackle a number of the cognitive issues commonly associated with problem gambling.

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