Talk
My First Death: Dying well in prison settings
07 May 2025
Royal College of Nursing Library and Museum
London, United Kingdom
-
Prison nurse badge, whistle and induction timetable, 1990s.
-
Artworks by prisoners at HM Prison Eastwood Park
-
Nurse Catherine Pine with Emmeline Pankhurst, 1913. Credit: The Women's Library at LSE.
-
Suffragette Elsie Duval's diary, written on prison toilet paper, 1913. Lent by The Women's Library at LSE.
Exhibition
Prison Nursing Unlocked: A history of care and justice
24 Apr 2025 – 19 Dec 2025
Regular hours
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 19:00
- Friday
- 10:00 – 19:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Monday
- 10:00 – 19:00
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 19:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 19:00
Free admission
Address
- 20 Cavendish Square
- London
England - W1G 0RN
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Oxford Circus
Event map
Discover the little-known history of prison nursing and the vital contribution that nurses make to prisoner welfare today.
About
Today, nurses play a vital role in prison health care. At the heart of their work is ‘equitable care’ – ensuring that people in prison receive the same quality of health care as those in the community. However, as recently as 30 years ago, many prisoners would never have encountered a registered nurse.
This exhibition explores the fascinating history of health care in prisons, from the work of early reformers like Elizabeth Fry to the vital contribution that nurses make to prisoner health today. Discover the experiences of suffragettes, force-fed in Holloway Prison, the formation of secure hospitals like Broadmoor, and artwork created by prisoners and nurses at HM Prison Eastwood Park and HM Prison Warren Hill.
The exhibition was co-created with Royal College of Nursing members, with support from the RCN History of Nursing Forum and the RCN Forensic and Justice Nursing Forum.
