Deborah Murphy

Photo of a Japanese woman with dyed red hair and yellow and black dress sitting on the edge of an art installation with a yellow platform and walls covered in large black dots, on the platform is a large sculpture of a yellow pumpkin with black dots in vertical lines

Yayoi Kusama with her artwork Pumpkin, 2010 #womensart

‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows One in 10 people unwilling to live next to someone who has been mentally ill even if they have recovered, Mind reports The number of people in England who are frightened of living near people with mental health problems has nearly doubled to one in seven, which experts warn reflects an “alarming rise in stigma”. Even if the mentally ill person had recovered, one in 10 people said they would be unwilling to live next to them, according to new research from the mental health charity Mind. Continue reading...

‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows

Oh dear 😢

The genius of trees: how forests have shaped humanity, from chocolate cravings to our ability to dream Since our early ancestors came down from the canopy, we may think we have learned how to live without trees. But our lives remain intertwined in incredible ways

The genius of trees: how forests have shaped humanity, from chocolate cravings to our ability to dream

Hi Matthew hoping to be helpful not pedantic! Bex Twinley has always been keen to distinguish the concept of the dark side of occupations as opposed to ‘dark occupations’, in recognition that no occupations are inherently ‘dark’ & it’s always the meaning the individual attaches to engagement

Photo of a round dwelling with thatched roof, the walls are painted with a floral design

The women of Matobo, Zimbabwe paint their dwellings with intricate designs using charcoal, ash, water and soil, an annual ritual with continually changing imagery #WomensArt

Turns out that depriving people of occupation 23 hrs a day has consequences #PrisonOT

“it's highly likely and logical that such incidents would be on the increase because there are a lot of prisoners who aren't getting out of their cell or getting access to education, employment and training"

Black children arrested in London ‘15% more likely to be criminalised’ than white children Report finds black offenders less likely to receive mentoring to help them avoid getting criminal record at early age Black children detained by police are 15% more likely to be “criminalised”, that is charged and put into the criminal justice system, than white children detained for similar types of offences, a study has found. The report by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), which tackles youth violence, found that black children were 14.8% less likely to be offered diversion, which can include mentoring or counselling, that usually results in them avoiding getting a criminal record at an early age. Continue reading...

Black children arrested in London ‘15% more likely to be criminalised’ than white children

Why do we pretend heatwaves are fun – and ignore the brutal, burning reality? | Zoe Williams The heatwave media formula is still extravagantly weird: all stock photos of ice-creams and suns with their hats on. It is time we recognised this extreme weather for exactly what it is, writes Zoe Williams

Why do we pretend heatwaves are fun – and ignore the brutal, burning reality? | Zoe Williams

The evidence demonstrates considerable links between childhood adversity & offending behaviour, at huge costs to individuals and society. While solutions to offending are complex, the need for investment in childhood is obvious, yet here we are…

#PrisonOT #ForensicOT #OccupationalTherapy

Reducing the over-representation of looked after children in the criminal justice system Clare Birtwistle of Manchester Metropolitan University guest blogs on reducing the over-representation of looked after children in the CJS

Reducing the over-representation of looked after children in the criminal justice system
Clare Birtwistle of Manchester Metropolitan University guest blogs on reducing the over-representation of looked after children in the CJS
www.russellwebster.com/reducing-the...

‘Prison was the first place we felt sisterhood’: six women return to the ruins of Holloway In an astonishing new documentary, former inmates go back to the cells that once held them – and reflect on what led them there in the first place. The result is a powerful indictment of our justice s...

‘Prison was the first place we felt sisterhood’: six women return to the ruins of Holloway
In an astonishing new documentary, former inmates go back to the cells that once held them. The result is a powerful indictment of our justice system
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ju...

Mattering is not just inside people’s heads: Mattering, inequality, schools and solidarity Luke Billingham is a youth worker for Hackney Quest and a Research Associate for the Open University.

"I don't want to rise 'above' my community. I want to rise *with* it."

This sentiment is often expressed to me by young people. They want individual success *and* to see improved conditions for all in their communities.

This is a theme I explore in this blog:
mabdallah.substack.com/p/mattering-...

How did it come to this? 🤷‍♀️

Trump’s Proposed Budget Would Cut a Major Ecology Program

The USGS ecosystems research program doesn't just study wildlife. Its researchers work on rangelands and forests, fisheries and aquaculture, and critically, wildfire.

Trump's proposed budget eliminates this program entirely, allocating $0 for 2026.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/31/c...

and I really do think it would be helpful for you two to talk whether it is related to the research or not. Ricardo would be a great asset to our workforce and I know you have negotiated this path very actively Mark. I’d also love to catch up on this area a little more with you. 🏳️‍🌈 ☺️

It just so happened that when I taught Ricardo we discussed working in prisons and I felt that I needed to be very honest that there are challenges for LGBT staff in this environment. I did however talk about your work for forensic environment

Please assist Ricardo with his interesting and important piece of research

Love to know where he found ‘cheap foreign labour’. Brexit, stripped social care of ANY sufficient labour. Having just observed the death of a labour deputy prime minister in a home that weeks later received an ‘unsatisfactory’ CQC rating, I’m clear noones immune to the impact of reducing migration

Graph showing disproportionally high numbers of Black children in custody Figure 7.6 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2022-to-2023/youth-justice-statistics-2022-to-2023-accessible-version#children-in-youth-custody

🧵Black children are significantly over-represented in youth custody - especially those on remand (i.e. awaiting conviction or sentencing)

In this article I explain how colonial/racist ideas of Black criminality are enmeshed into perceptions of risk of young Black men in the contemporary #prison

However, this is not just about racialised #Rehabilitation, but it extends to officer threat analysis too

academic.oup.com/bjc/article-...

Beautiful buildings of Malta and a surreal popeye film set 🇲🇹

#Hiking #Malta

BREAKING🚨-EveryDoctor investigated the financial links between MPs and the private health sector & can now announce which MP received the highest donation amount from individuals+companies with links to the private health sector between 2023-2025…

It's Wes Streeting. Our Health Secretary. £179,575🚨

Personal trauma is associated with secondary traumatic stress in mental health professionals buff.ly/xMxe3ZH

Linda Gask @suzypuss.bsky.social explores how mental health professionals with a personal history of trauma are at heightened risk of suffering from secondary traumatic stress.

🧵 THREAD

Victory for our campaign to keep girls out of Wetherby prison

We welcome the government’s announcement to end the practice of placing girls in young offender institutions.

The decision follows recommendations from Susannah Hancock’s independent review into the placement and care of girls in youth custody.

howardleague.org/news/howard-...

Men from A-wing work out and chat in the exercise yard of A-wing at Lincoln prison. Photo by Andy Aitchison.

The prison population stands at 87,316. There are 117 more people in prison than there were last week.

By the prison service's own measure of safe and decent accommodation, there is room for only 79,428 people in the system. The population is 7,888 above this level.

howardleague.org/prison-watch/

Good to see you over here. It’s still a little quiet, but growing, and I actually get to see the posts of the people that I follow on here which is novel after the other place! We need a forum. I am hoping this is it ☺️

Great to see an #OccupationalTherapist working in the prison system championing the important role social services OT’s have in this environment

#OTNews #PrisonOT #ForensicOT

Please apply. We have small and large pots for funding research in occupational therapy !

Punch

If there are tickets remaining it’s really worth a view. #RestorativeJustice can offer such an important contribution to better outcomes for all

www.youngvic.org/whats-on/punch