A qualitative study of factors influencing psychiatric nursing practice inAustralian prisons

TOPIC. Factors influencing the practice of psychiatric nursing in Australia n prisons. METHODS. A quantitative study of psychiatric nurses (N = 30) working in a p rison. FINDINGS. The psychiatric nurses identified the following factors ns influe ncing their work: challenging patients, threats to personal survival of pat ients, the technology and artifice of confinement, conflicting values of nu rses and corrections staff, stigma by association, and prisoner identificat ion of the nurses with prison administration. CONCLUSIONS. Psychiatric nurses who work in forensic settings must adapt to less than optimal practice conditions.