Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 613 | 6th December 2019

Light Lunch

In this week's edition...

CLINKS STATEMENT: Learning Together

Our statement following Friday’s tragic events at London Bridge: “We are saddened by the loss of life at the Learning Together event last Friday - by the loss of passion, belief in the potential in everyone and in the power of working together to help people change which these two young people clearly demonstrated and lived by. We need people like them in the criminal justice sector. Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones. Our criminal justice community is reeling and many in our network have been affected directly and indirectly. We will support one another and hope that everyone who needs it can access help. The work of rehabilitation is not one part of the sector’s or even one sector’s responsibility, it is a collective effort and we are proud of the work we all do.” - Anne Fox, Chief Executive Officer. Some people have been asking how they can donate to support the work of Learning Together and you can give through this fundraising page here

CLINKS BLOG: what difference do we make?

Anne Fox looks at our recent impact assessment which covers Clinks work over the past three years. She emphasises the importance of independent scrutiny and always asking ourselves how we could work better. The assessment was conducted externally by Becky Nixon at Ideas to Impact who heard the views of over 120 people in a variety of ways. Thank you to those who took part. Overall, stakeholders from different sectors were extremely positive about Clinks’ work. Several recommendations were also made and we respond to them in the report. Read more here

CLINKS BLOG: what have we achieved?

Anne Fox looks back over 2018/19 and reflects on some of the headlines and highlights from our recently published annual report. She looks at what we have achieved and how we have performed under our strategic objectives, including to promote the work and value of the voluntary sector in the criminal justice system, to support voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system, and to represent and advocate for the voluntary sector and its service users. Read her blog here

CLINKS PODCAST: transgender in prison

Listen to Sarah-Jane Baker’s episode of the Crime and Consequence podcast where she reads her essay from the Crime and Consequence book about being transgender in prison. Sarah-Jane is an award-winning violinist, poet, artist, and author of Life Imprisonment: An unofficial guide and Transgender behind prison walls. In the podcast she details her own experience and what she has learnt from other transgender people in prison through her research. Listen here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: short play

Not Pretty Like The Rainbow from Clean Break is available for bookings for events. This short play from Daisy King explores the ripple effect that imprisonment has on women’s lives. Three women, known only as ‘66’, ‘70’ and ‘46’, have their lives derailed by short sentences. It is written and performed by women with experience or on the fringes of the criminal justice system and makes an engaging and impactful contribution for conferences, seminars or training events. The 20 minute play can be stand alone or accompanied by a 40 minute workshop. This production is available for bookings from the end of January to the end of March 2020. More information and details of how to book here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: brain injury and domestic abuse

The Disabilities Trust has launched its new brief The Impact of Brain Injury and Domestic Abuse: A Future Analysis, having re-explored the data collected during its Brain Injury Linkworker Service at HMP Drake Hall, which revealed that 64% of women at the prison had experienced a brain injury. The leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury, as reported, was domestic abuse (62%). From these findings, an additional analysis was conducted, examining the link between brain injury and domestic abuse, to develop an understanding of the specific needs of these women. The Trust also hosted an expert roundtable, bringing together representatives from leading charities, the NHS and academics to discuss the role of brain injury and domestic abuse. Read more

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: new Head of Policy

Revolving Doors Agency has appointed Nathan Dick as their new Head of Policy. Nathan joins from the Ministry of Justice where he led stakeholder management and communications for the probation reform programme. Previous roles include Advisor to Chief Inspector of Probation and Head of Policy and Communications at Clinks. He will take up his role with Revolving Doors in January. Commenting on his appointment, Nathan Dick said: "I have long admired Revolving Doors, and having the chance to work alongside such an inspiring team is a great privilege. They tackle complicated issues with curiosity and intelligence, focusing on solutions informed by research and lived experience. I can't wait to get started." Read more

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: impact report

The Forward Trust has launched its second annual Impact Report showcasing the depth and breadth of support it provides to help some of the most marginalised people in society to make positive changes to move forward with their lives. It presents results from the last year in each of its five main areas of work: drug and alcohol recovery, health and wellbeing, housing, employment and connections with friends and family. The report also presents the latest data on the characteristics of clients. Many of the people The Forward Trust works with have complex and entrenched histories of addiction and crime - on average, a typical service user will have received 22 previous convictions and 7 previous custodial sentences. Read the report here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: race disparity

The Ministry of Justice has published its biennial statistics on race and the criminal justice system. They show that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups – particularly black individuals –continue to be over-represented at many stages of the criminal justice system, with the greatest disparities occurring at the point of stop and search, arrests, custodial sentencing and in the prison population. The statistics highlight that white individuals had a lower average custodial sentence length than all other ethnic groups and that black prisoners served the greatest proportion of their original sentence in custody. The continued racial disparities reiterate the importance of continuing to prioritise the needs of BAME people and for the government to fully implement the Lammy Review. Read the report here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: protected characteristics

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has published its annual equalities report for 2018/19. The report provides information on people with protected characteristics with regards to particular aspects of prison and supervision in the community such as the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, Mother and Baby Units in prison and accredited programmes. The report shows that black prisoners continue to be disproportionately placed on basic IEP status - the lowest level of the IEP scheme. A higher proportion of men than women in prison were on enhanced IEP status. Of those who started an accredited programme in prison, 93% were men and 24% were from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background. See the full report here 

FUNDING: reduce crime and protect victims

Funding from the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner's 2020-21 Community Safety and Violence Reduction Unit Fund is available to support voluntary sector organisations to assist the Commissioner to reduce crime and protect victims, witnesses and vulnerable people in Nottinghamshire. Applications are invited for up to a maximum of £25,000 and organisations may apply for one project only with successful projects delivering during the period 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 only. The deadline for receipt of electronic and hard copy applications is midday on Friday 20th December 2019. Find out more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S TRAINING: facilitating playwriting workshops

Rewriting Justice is a one-day training course [30th January, London, from £55] for theatre-artists, early career playwrights and criminal justice professionals with a particular interest in how to facilitate playwriting workshops in criminal justice settings as well as examining the personal and social value of this work. The day will be facilitated by Clean Break’s Joint Artistic Director, Anna Herrmann and playwright Vivienne Franzmann. Book online here

OPPORTUNITY: voluntary sector partner

The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime is seeking a voluntary sector partner to help deliver the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme in London. Custody visiting originated from the recommendations of Lord Scarman’s inquiry into the 1981 Brixton riots, which led to the establishment of the rights of people detained in police custody for a suspected offence. It is an important mechanism for providing transparency and reassurance to the public about the delivery of police custody and detention facilities. To support organisations who might be interested in bidding for this opportunity The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime is holding an information event [12th December, London, free]. Further information is available here

OPPORTUNITY: free course for refugees and asylum seekers

The University of East London is offering a 12-week free weekend course for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, starting 10th January 2020, for 12 weeks. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the Higher Education system. The course offers an opportunity for students to find out what skills and knowledge are needed in order to apply for and succeed in university, and information about pathways and opportunities available for forced migrants. The course offers modules in Academic English and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation, IT-skills, academic tutoring, introductory lecture series and creative workshops. To register, please email t.mpopo@uel.ac.uk

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: Community Team Manager with Penrose Criminal Justice Services [London], Family Support Worker with Ormiston Families [HMP Hollesley Bay], Deputy Head of Service Delivery and Development with Pact [London], Engagement Team Member with User Voice [Northumbria], Peer Mentor Volunteer with The Forward Trust [Hull], Criminal Justice Recovery Navigator with EDP Drug & Alcohol Services [Newton Abbot], MIS Co-ordinator with Weston College [HMP Coldingley], Senior Asset Coach with Changing Lives [Newcastle upon Tyne], Community Fundraiser with Oasis Project [Brighton], Support Worker with Waymarks [Reading], Administration and Information Officer with Birth Companions [London & Home based], Business Support Senior Administrator with Humankind [Barnsley]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip I: Retro sweet hamper. From £9.95. Details
  • Tip II: O’Keeffe hardworking skin care gift set. 67% off. Details
  • Tip III: English Heritage annual membership: visit 400+ sites. From £36. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

About Clinks Light Lunch

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