Potentially, Karen might have to serve the rest of her sentence which she is dreading. She is in a cell on her own as she is classed as “high risk” and said that she just spends all day laying on her bed thinking about what an awful person she is. She is on medication for her mental health problems including anti psychotics and benzodiazepines but she doesn’t have the option of having someone to talk to. When I visit Karen it takes 10-15 minutes for her to come out of her shell but when she does it is very apparent that she has got a lot on her mind which she needs to talk through with someone. I’m very glad she feels able to talk to me but it’s so frustrating that she has to wait for my visits to have an outlet for all the problems she is facing and attempting to deal with. At the moment, Karen’s immediate future depends on the outcome of the hearing, she may have to serve the rest of her sentence or she may be released on licence again.
If she is released then she needs to be released into residential rehab outside of Leeds as she clearly cannot manage to abstain from alcohol on her own, she has tried so many times but she can’t do it. Unfortunately due to timing and funding issues this looks very unlikely and she may be released, as she has previously, into whatever accommodation we can find for her and asked to attend an alcohol service until rehab is an option. My worry is that we have tried that before and it doesn’t work for Karen, she will be in the same situation as before and that will just compound her frustration and stress about her situation, which is not going to help her motivation and ability to face her relationship with alcohol.
Fiona, Support Worker