The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice.
In this month's issue..
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
- Arts in criminal justice news and publications
- Events and training
- Resources and opportunities
NCJAA influencing campaign
This autumn, the NCJAA will be launching the campaign to highlight and promote the incredible work and evidence base around the arts in criminal justice. Building on the Inspiring Futures Project and taking the additional evidence that arts organisations have submitted since our call out in the last newsletter, there will be a toolkit of resources that organisations can use in their own influencing work. This will include stats and quotes designed for social media use, briefings/letters for sending to key stakeholders and a poster campaign. We are also planning a roundtable event with key policymakers early next year. Look out for further updates in our communications.
State of the Sector 2024 – focus groups
We have begun our research for the 2024 State of the Sector report. We want to meet with people from organisations across the sector to understand and make sense of the experiences and forces that have shaped the last five years of the criminal justice voluntary sector. Together with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), we will be holding a series of in-person and virtual focus groups, and (as necessary) smaller interviews in November. Clinks and the NCJAA are calling on all arts specialist individuals and organisations working in criminal justice to participate in the focus groups. We encourage individuals and organisations in the arts and criminal justice sector to use this year’s research as an opportunity to make their voice heard.
To express your interest to join a focus group, please complete a two-minute survey and the NCVO team will get in touch with you to register your preferences and coordinate with you. Express your interest here
Clinks call out for design work
Clinks wish to commission an individual or organisation working within the arts in criminal justice sector to create an animated video to promote its membership offer. This work would replace Clinks' current membership video. If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in being commissioned for this work then please do get in touch to discuss further details. Ideally Clinks are seeking to work with organisations and individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system with an interest in videography/graphic design/animation. Please do get in touch here
Ongoing engagement on current challenges – DPS and vetting
In this blog, Clinks CEO Anne Fox provides an update on the organisation's work addressing key issues affecting the criminal justice voluntary sector. Ongoing difficulties include timely staff vetting for work in prisons and concerns over the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), which affects funding for smaller organisations. Anne emphasises Clinks’ engagement with statutory bodies to advocate for solutions and improve communication on commissioning activities. Clinks is committed to supporting voluntary organisations and welcomes input from the sector. If there are other issues you feel we are not keeping you up to date on, please drop us a line and we can add these updates into our blog and event schedule. Read the blog here
Sentencing Review and further capacity measures
As the Government launched a landmark sentencing review to end the prison crisis, the Lord Chancellor also announced the following measures to ensure there is enough prison capacity in the interim:
- An extension of the maximum period eligible offenders can spend on Home Detention Curfew, fitted with an electronic tag, from 6 to 12 months.
- Reform how recalls to prison are reviewed to target the unsustainable growth in the recall population since the pandemic, through changing the policy of Risk-Assessed Recall Review (RARR) to enable its use in a greater number of lower-risk cases than at present.
- Work to identify further ways to speed up the removal of foreign national offenders.
The measures on HDC and recall reform will not be implemented for some months to allow full planning to take place. The Probation Service will be required to be able to dedicate the necessary resources to offenders released under these provisions.
In addition to its commitment to fund at least 1,000 additional trainee probation officers by the end of March 2025, HMPPS will also be considering what operational changes may be required to maintain its focus on higher risk individuals supervised in the community and ensure that the public continue to be protected. Read Clinks CEO, Anne Fox's blog setting out initial thoughts on the Sentencing Review
For regular policy news, sign up to the Clinks Policy Briefing here
Support Bike for the Beds
On the 15 September 2024, Niki Gibbs from Beauty out of Ashes rode the London to Brighton Bike ride, to help raise money to pay for two years storage for the 30 legacy prison beds rescued from HMP Holloway. The beds will be used in a Future Arts project involving women in the criminal justice system, female ex-offenders, women artists and women in the community.
Niki came in the top 18% and rode the route in 4hrs 38mins, coming in 1022 out of 5617 riders. The winning time was 2hrs 20 mins and the average time about 5hrs 50 mins. The route was guided with official photographers along the way, and happily the weather smiled on the riders and all those that turned out to greet the finishers. Niki said “We are just over 50% of the way towards our target of £1200, please help by donating to:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bikeforthebeds
https://beautyoutofasheshwb.wordpress.com/get-involved/ways-to-donate/
Beauty out of Ashes thanks everyone who has donated so far!
BearFace Theatre at Law Week 2024 in Winchester Cathedral
On 10 October 2024 BearFace Theatre, Artswork and young people from Ensemble Youth Theatre presented and performed ‘Making Choices’ at Winchester Cathedral as part of Law Week 2024. The event was a combination of interactive performance and presentation, giving the audience an insight into youth criminal justice and the issues facing children and young people today. Young people performed imagined stories of vulnerable individuals being groomed into crime, followed by the presentation of ‘Choices’, an innovative, preventative intervention being delivered to teachers and children in Hampshire Schools, to address these issues. See more info and photos here
“a brilliant event, well crafted, visceral, and memorable…So pleasing to see really strong pedagogy and learning philosophy underpinning the practice…This should be accessible to young people across the country”. (audience member)
HMIP Annual Report: Desperate times for prisons
Against the backdrop of the growing prison population crisis, the 2023-24 annual report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons paints a devastating picture of what is happening inside our prisons. With many prisons severely overcrowded and understaffed, inspectors found men and women continued to spend far too long locked in their cells with nothing to do thanks to the woeful provision of education, training or work. Out of the 32 closed prisons the report covers, 30 were rated poor or insufficiently good in the assessment for purposeful activity. Rather than prisoners participating in activities or interventions to reduce their risk of reoffending and support their mental and physical health during their time behind bars, inspectors found a surge in illicit drug use, self-harm and violence.
The report covers the findings of 79 reports, and also notes ongoing serious concerns about the provision for children in custody characterised by “drift, decline and failures” and increasing unrest in immigration detention, compounded by Home Office delays in decision-making. Read report here
Koestler Arts’ annual UK exhibition - 'No Comment', curated by Jeremy Deller & John Costi at the Southbank Centre
1 November – 15 December | London | free
Turner Prize winner, Jeremy Deller, and former prisoner-turned-artist, John Costi, will co-curate No Comment, the 17th edition of Koestler Arts’ annual UK exhibition at the Southbank Centre. The show will feature a selection of works by prisoners, secure mental health patients, immigration detainees, and other individuals in secure settings, from the UK and abroad, all submitted to the annual Koestler Awards. Find out more here
Geo Britto Training
7-8 November 2024 | £30
Join Geo Britto of ETP Rio for Anti-Facist Theatre of the Oppressed workshop in November. To sign up to attend this one-day training, contact char@oddarts.co.uk.
The Man In The Mirror DAPP
Starts 16 November for 12 weeks | National | £1400
A perpetrator violence intervention program, the objectives of the program are to ensure that victim’s safety is central to the work. Alexandra Groves, the trainer and Founder for The Man in the Mirror Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, proposes principles and guidelines for a domestic abuse intervention program. Find out more here
Something to Take Off the Edge - Prison and Hostel Tour
Ongoing
Something to Take Off the Edge is a solo show written and performed by Errol McGlashan currently touring prisons, hostels and day centres. The story is about two cellmates flirting with heroin, chocolate Hobnobs and Shakespeare, while serving long term prison sentences during 1980's Britain. Contact Errol here
Clinks Working & Volunteering in Prisons Training
14 November 2024 | online | £95
Are you new to working or volunteering in prisons? Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding of the prison system? Working or volunteering in a prison can be quite daunting due to the many complexities associated with its unique environment and establishing the role of the voluntary sector within that can be challenging. Join us at this three-hour training session for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to raise awareness of the prison environment and provide information on key aspects such as staffing structures and departments, prison procedures and current challenges associated with working in prisons. Find out more and book here
Clinks Navigating the Criminal Justice System Training
21 January 2025 | online | £75
Are you new to working or volunteering in the criminal justice system? Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding of the criminal justice system? The criminal justice system as a whole can be quite daunting to understand because of both its size and complexity. This three- hour workshop aims to increase awareness of and provide opportunity for voluntary sector staff and volunteers to explore and discuss how the criminal justice system is organised, the complexities within it, and how it works. Find out more and book here
Collaborating to change the shape of justice for women
30 January 2025 | London | free
In 2030 The Worshipful Company of Weavers, the oldest of the City of London’s livery companies will be 900 years old. Those 900 years of tradition and patronage include supporting criminal justice voluntary organisations for the last 50 years. During this time the company has learned a lot from working with criminal justice charities supporting people in prison and in the community upon release. To mark its 900th anniversary the company wants to invest in continued innovation to solve a perennial problem in our justice system. Specifically - the issue of women being sentenced to prison, leading to higher reoffending rates and greater family breakdown, than more effective community interventions. To begin the process of change, the company is hosting a summit to explore “where next” for justice for women, bringing together thinkers and doers from across society focussed on how to end the imprisonment of women who would have better outcomes if their offending was addressed in other ways. Find out more and book here
Taking referrals for music programme for at-risk youth in South London!
Based on Finding Rhythms’ reputation in providing effective music interventions, Making Waves supports at-risk young people by providing weekly sessions with a professional producer. Over the course of 10, 1.5h sessions, participants are empowered to write and record their own music from their private studio space in Peckham. Alongside this, learners have the opportunity to receive person-focussed mentoring support from Trailblazers. Funded by London’s Violence Reduction Unit, the programme aims to build participants’ confidence, self-belief and transferable skills for employment, preparing them for a better future in society. They would love to hear from you if you are working with a young person who: Is receiving support in the community for risk factors related to violence or offending, or have recently left prison; is interested in music and wants to develop their skills and creativity; is age 18+; is based in London, preferably South London. Find out more here
New animation: Childhood trauma and criminality
Causeway have recently produced a special criminal justice animation. It has been voiced by Harry Potter actor and BAFTA-nominee Zoë Wanamaker, along with Line of Duty and The Witcher star Royce Pierreson. The animation aims to increase awareness and understanding from the public about the link between childhood trauma and criminality, and Causeway encourage you to share it. The animation tells the real-life story of a man called Dwayne, and his real words were taken to create the script. Against a childhood of neglect and witnessing domestic abuse in the home, from six-years-old Dwayne was groomed into a criminal gang. As he moved into his late teens, Dwayne ended up spending 17 years in-and-out of prison. Dwayne left prison for the last time 10 years ago, and is now committed to supporting others to move away from criminality, or reducing their risk of taking part in it. You can watch the animation here
Office space
Voluntary Community Action Trafford's Shared Space Initiative has small private offices, flexible desk spaces, counselling rooms, and meeting rooms available to hire. Available on a flexible or fixed-term basis, from one-hour bookings to long-term contracts. The space is fully accessible, with superfast broadband, meeting rooms and kitchen access included. Only a short walk from two Metro lines and various bus bus routes - https://www.sharedspaceinitiative.org/
Vacancies
Volunteer & Work Experience Coordinator – Odd Arts
Trustee – National Justice Museum
Temporary Communications Assistant – Koestler Arts
Want to post a vacancy?
Clinks members can post job and volunteer vacancies on our Jobs Board for free.
Full instructions for uploading a vacancy can be found here.
For assistance, email membership@clinks.org
Take a creative break
Can a neural network learn to recognize doodling? Help teach it by adding your drawings to the world’s largest doodling data set, shared publicly to help with machine learning research.
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
The next NCJAA newsletter will be sent on Thursday 19 December. If you have any news, opportunities or events relating to art organisations or projects within the criminal justice system that you would like included, please submit your information via our online form by Monday 11 December.
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