Delivering tailored interventions that make a difference for the last 30 years
No other private prison operator self-delivers psychological services at the breadth and scale Serco does. Our in-house psychologists provide unique, evidence-based interventions tailored to each prisoner’s needs, helping them positively change their behaviour. By training staff to do the same, we work together every day to reduce the risk of reoffending.
How we make rehabilitation happen
Personalising to make a difference
Every prisoner receives the right level of support, from those with learning disabilities to those with neurodivergence.
We adapt services and treatments to meet changing needs, ensuring personalised care at all times.
Working together for better outcomes
Our transdisciplinary approach allows psychologists to train and support prison staff, so psychological interventions can continue outside therapy sessions.
As a trusted government partner, we collaborate with key justice departments to achieve shared objectives, improving outcomes for everyone involved.
Leading the industry through research and innovation
Our psychologists are always exploring new ways to deliver care, including individual therapy, group sessions, equine therapy, compassion focussed therapy and paro seal robotic animal assisted therapy
We collaborate with the wider psychology community, agencies, and government partners, sharing our findings to help shape future policies.
Innovating rehabilitation: Using animal-assisted therapy to improve prisoner wellbeing
At Serco, we empower our psychologists to lead research that shapes the future of rehabilitation. A study at HMP Doncaster explores how animal-assisted therapy can enhance emotional wellbeing, reduce self-harm, and foster pro-social behaviour in custody.
This evidence-based approach supports trauma-informed care and aligns with modern correctional priorities around purposeful activity and psychological resilience.
Research informed approach
One of the ways we are empowering prison officers to support the rehabilitation process is through our RE-ACT workshop. Based on research published by our psychologists, the workshop helps prison officers to respond more effectively to serious incidents.
Serco operates the UK’s only privately run, purpose-built therapeutic facility at HMP Dovegate, with another soon opening at HMP Ashfield. Here, therapy is a 24/7 intervention aimed at breaking the cycle of offending. The majority of prisoners in these communities serve long sentences, and the therapy is designed to help them stop reoffending.
It’s important that we have a real focus on a Rehabilitative Culture in our prisons and we work very hard to support the staff who are working in really challenging areas through staff training, supervision and working together in a multi-disciplinary way to have a really positive impact on prison culture.
Natalie Parrett
Director of Psychological Services
The prisons we run and the services we deliver
HMP Dovegate
A large Category B prison, where we deliver psychological intervention to remanded, convicted, high-risk and long-term prisoners, as well as the UK’s first privately-run prison-based Therapeutic Community.
HMP Doncaster
A resettlement prison focused on individuals serving sentences of less than 12 months.
HMP Ashfield
We provide a wide range of treatment and support options specialised for people convicted of sexual offences, including Serco’s second prison-based Therapeutic Community.
HMP Thameside
A London-based prison, managed by Serco since its opening in 2012.
HMP Fosse Way
One of the UK’s newest resettlement prisons, designed to prioritise education, training, and employment opportunities for prisoners through a psychologically informed model.
Join our team and make a difference
Join a close-knit team that’s proud to drive meaningful change in the lives of prisoners. With Psychological Services, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of innovative treatment approaches, with opportunities to grow professionally and make a tangible difference.
*2021 (Swift & Tonkin, unpublished) looked at ‘Reconviction rates of Therapeutic Community Completers, Non-Completers and Non-Starters from 2008 to 2014’. This found that 78.9% of those that did not complete therapy were reconvicted compared to 36.4% of those that completed therapy; suggesting that those who completed the TC were far less likely to re-offend.