Purpose

This study examines forensic psychiatric inpatient care through a philosophical analysis of empirical findings from five lifeworld phenomenological studies, interpreted through Foucault’s work.

Materials and methods

All studies were conducted in forensic psychiatric settings from a nursing perspective. The findings were reanalyzed using phenomenological meaning analysis to develop a general structure in line with reflective lifeworld research principles.

Findings

The analysis identified three interrelated constitutive dimensions of nursing practice: (1) care practice as conduct and counter-conduct in the tension between institutional demands and patients’ needs, (2) interpretive work as conduct and counter-conduct in responding to patients’ expressions, and (3) emotional endurance as conduct and counter-conduct in resisting professional detachment. Together, these dimensions illustrate how care in forensic psychiatry is enacted within, rather than in opposition to, institutional power relations. The findings show how everyday encounters are shaped by a ward culture oriented towards safety, control, and predictability, while also giving rise to subtle, situated forms of counter-conduct. These practices open limited, fragile spaces for alternative care.

Conclusion

By highlighting the interpretive, emotional, and moral labor involved in nursing practice, the study contributes a practice-based Foucauldian understanding of care in forensic psychiatric contexts.