Background Rates of reoffending and recall are high among released male prisoners with personality disorder. There is a need for innovative intervention to reduce offending and increase staff confidence in working with such men. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel intervention consisting of training and consultation termed ‘psychologically informed practice’, within community‐based ‘approved premises’ for offenders. Method A pragmatic exploratory trial was used to compare two premises in a South London borough licenced under criminal justice legislation to provide supervised accommodation for selected released prisoners. One used the PIP intervention for 12 months while the other (comparison group) functioned in a similar way but without this intervention. Outcome measures included staff attitudes and offender behaviours. Results Significant improvements were observed only for the intervention group. Compared with baseline measures, significantly higher levels of knowledge and understanding of personality disorder as well as a greater sense of personal accomplishment were observed in staff who have been trained and supported in psychologically informed practice. Significantly lower rates of warnings and recalls to prison were observed only for the intervention group at 6 months following initial staff training. Conclusion Psychologically informed practice appears to be sufficiently advantageous for staff and offenders, and the trial feasible, which is a full‐scale multi‐centre trial, seems warranted. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.