I’m Carly Wright, Phoenix’s health and justice strategic lead. Today I’m at HMP Wayland to find out more about its anti-stigma committee. Most importantly, I’m here to meet Ben*, one of the committee members, who’s kindly agreed to share some of his experiences with me.
‘We started the committee two years ago, because of concerns from a staff member that people in prison were frequently subjected to stigma,’ he says. ‘We wanted to do something to raise awareness, and challenge stigmatising language and behaviours wherever they appear.’
The committee includes ten members from the prison population, working in partnership with staff from Phoenix. Members are given identifiable t-shirts, making them easily recognisable and approachable for fellow prisoners who want to discuss concerns or experiences related to stigma. ‘We’ve been proactive in creating cultural change within the prison, including running monthly forums, producing a stigma awareness film, hosting a stigma-themed breakfast event, doing interviews on prison radio, and delivering a stigma awareness day held in the prison gym,’ says Ben.
‘In the community, I experienced stigma because members of my family had substance use problems,’ he states. ‘People immediately put me in the same category, and that led to me becoming more aggressive and acting out with violence, mainly to protect my family from the stigma they were facing.’
Stigma in prison can be more targeted than in the wider community, he says. ‘It’s built into the everyday language people use here, and it’s become so normalised that many don’t even realise the impact it has. The stigma becomes invisible, but it’s still doing damage.’ There’s also stigma from prison staff, he adds. ‘Some prisoners already struggle with authority, and when that authority figure judges them or uses stigmatising language, it makes things worse. Staff should set the standard for respectful behaviour and language.’
Ben joined the committee because he wanted to ‘be part of something that could make real change,’ he says. ‘I’ve seen how stigma can hurt people, and I felt I could use my own experience to help others. The committee gave me a way to challenge those issues, by doing something positive about it.’
He believes the committee can ‘achieve anything if we keep pushing forward’, he says. ‘I want to change the way people in prison talk to each other. If we educate people, staff and prisoners then we can change the culture of the prison. Personally, my biggest goal is to get rid of the word “junkie” altogether. That word carries so much harm and judgment.’
Language is a ‘powerful thing,’ he tells me. ‘If we start by changing the words we use, I believe it will snowball. People will begin to think differently, and that will lead to treating each other differently. Mutual respect is a good place to start. Even things like accents can affect how people are perceived – some accents might sound aggressive, and that can lead to misunderstandings.’
The committee has also helped him to grow personally, he says. ‘I’ve challenged stigma directly by having conversations with staff to point out how their language might be affecting someone. Sometimes they’ve taken it well – they hadn’t realised how much harm their words could cause. Other times the response hasn’t been positive, but I believe the key is to keep having those conversations and not give up. The committee is raising awareness, slowly but surely. The more visible we are, the more likely people are to think before they speak, and that’s where change starts.’
So does he have any advice for anyone who’d like to start something similar? ‘First, you need buy-in from the prison governor, staff, and the prison population,’ he says. ‘Without that support, it won’t work. Make sure committee members can be easily identified – badges and t-shirts help with that. Prisoners need to know who they can go to if they want to talk about stigma or get support. Start by setting up a forum – let people share what they need, what they’re experiencing, and what changes they’d like to see. That’s where your action plan should begin – by listening.’
I left HMP Wayland feeling genuinely inspired by Ben’s honesty, the commitment of the anti-stigma committee, and the real cultural change they’re helping to create. It’s a powerful reminder that even in the most challenging environments, meaningful change is possible – especially when those at the brunt of power systems are empowered and supported to lead, if they choose to. Change should never be their burden alone, but their insight is essential to shaping more inclusive and compassionate spaces.
Carly Wright is health and justice strategic lead at Phoenix Futures
*Not his real name