Re:covery

Karen’s work aims to reduce preventable deaths and prevent harm for people in prison and the staff that work alongside them. She is also working to address some of the inequalities faced by people who encounter the criminal justice system. Karen's research into complex, high-risk people in prison revealed staggering statistics: up to a third of people who are violent within prisons also engage in self-harm in prison, leading her to coin the term 'dual harm' to describe this behaviour. Her findings led to significant changes in approaches to suicide and self-harm management. Collaborating with Samaritans, the mental health charity, Karen developed a postvention approach now adopted nationwide, aiding prisons in responding to suicides. She also implemented a national system for suicide prevention and self-harm management, introducing the Support and Safety Plan (SaSP) and Collaborative Assessment of Risk and Emotion (CARE) for those living in approved premises – accommodation primarily used for housing high and very high risk of serious harm individuals released on licence from custody. Furthermore, her work has influenced National Institute for Health and Excellence (NICE) guidance, advocating for multi-team partnerships in over 100 prisons and probation services in England, enhancing the safety and well-being for those in contact with these institutions.

Regionally, many people who work in prisons, probation services, and police have said that NTU's research has changed the way they do their jobs every day. The research has helped to create better ways of doing things that have reduced the number of suicides and self-harm cases in the criminal justice system in the UK.

Karen’s more recent research has impacted lives outside of the criminal justice system too. In 2023, she developed a suite of resources for the Fire Fighters Charity on how to understand, identify and respond to concerns about suicide. She has also worked with the charity to advise and support on appropriate responses after a death (called postvention). This support is publicly available and can be used by staff and managers inside the service, as well as the family and friends of workers in the fire and rescue services.