Events
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26 Feb 2026
Edinburgh
Prison Nursing Unlocked: A history of care and justice: exhibition launch (Hybrid)
Join us for the launch of our new exhibition about the history of prison nursing. Enjoy free refreshments and a chance to look around the exhibition, alongside activities and talks on nursing in justice settings.
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27 Feb 2026 - 30 Sep 2026
Edinburgh
Prison Nursing Unlocked: A history of care and justice: exhibition
This exhibition explores the fascinating history of healthcare in prisons, from the work of early reformers like Elizabeth Fry to the vital contribution that nurses make to prisoner health today.
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28 May 2026
Edinburgh
Care in custody: In conversation with nursing teams working in justice (Hybrid)
What is it like working as nurse in justice settings? And what to such nurses do? Join our panel of Nurse of the Year finalists who will share their experiences of working in justice settings, and how they have worked to innovate and respond to the unique challenges the sector presents.
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20 Aug 2026
Edinburgh
The fight for the vote: suffragettes and nursing (Hybrid)
Conditions in prisons were thrown into the spotlight by the wider battle for women’s rights. Join our speakers to explore nurses who were suffragettes, arrested and imprisoned.
Past events
Broadmoor and Beyond: The history of high security hospitals
A talk on the history of high security hospitals, from Broadmoor to modern secure units.
In this talk, historian Jade Shepherd looks at the history of Broadmoor Hospital and nurse and historian Chris Hart outlines the more recent experiences of nurses in secure mental health settings.
This event was recorded at the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ in October 2025.
Biz in the Pris: A history of drug use in prisons
An online talk on the history of drug use in prisons and creative interventions to explain its dangers.
Substance misuse is widespread in prison settings. Find out about the history of drug misuse in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, alongside recent creative interventions to explain the dangers of drug abuse to young offenders and beyond. Speakers include Janet Weston and Denise Lyons.
This event was held online in September 2025.
Care in Custody: From police matrons to forensics
In this online talk, Louise Jackson outlines the history of these nurses (and others) in the police service, while Gethin Rees explains the recent development of Forensic Nurse Examiners in Britain and Karen Swinson explores the introduction of custody nursing from 1999. The event was chaired by Claire Chatterton.
This event was held online in June 2025.
Hunger Strikes and Baby Units: Women and prison health
It was the poor standards of maternity care in women’s prisons that led to the introduction of the first trained nurses to Holloway Prison in 1919. In this talk, Rachel Bennett outlines the history of maternal health in the prison system, while Ian Miller explores another side of women’s health: the experience of women’s rights campaigners and others on hunger strike in prisons.
This was an online event held in May 2025.
Prison Nursing Unlocked: Exhibition Launch
This panel discussion was part of the launch event for our new exhibition on the history of prison nursing, from the early nineteenth century to the present day.
It features chair Liz Walsh and speakers Ann Norman, Sobanan Narenthiren and Donna Goddard who discuss the past, present and future of prison health.
This event was held in-person and online in April 2025.
Page last updated - 02/12/2025