‘You can have a bit of my pain, see how it feels’ – understanding male prisoners who engage in dual harm behaviours

Prison-based violence and self-harm are continuing to rise. Recent research is increasingly showing that for some prisoners, self-harm and violence co-occur, i.e. they engage in dual harm. This study contributes to the developing research and literature focusing on dual harm by presenting an analysis of the dual harm experiences of six men residing in a Category B English prison. Participants were interviewed and their narratives analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Superordinate and subordinate themes were identified, and they shed further light on why men in prison dual harm and what influences their decision to engage in one type of harm over the other at any given time. The findings indicate that co-occurrence is not coincidental. Participants experienced a combination of interlinking factors and complex temporal and experiential relationships underpinning the two behaviours: experiencing difficult and unpredictable environments, an incoherence of sense of self and identity, painful psychological and emotional states, and connections to early adverse experiences. The findings are discussed in line with the growing dual harm research and wider psychological literature. Limitations of the study and future research directions are provided, and implications for policy and practice are suggested.