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
Lou Clark currently manages the NCJAA and can be contacted on artsalliance@clinks.org Tuesday to Thursday.
“I’m keen to speak to arts projects and practitioners about what work you do within the criminal justice system and with those it impacts. In the world of remote working, it’s important for me to make connections with projects and I welcome conversations to get to know you better, hear about what is important to you and connect you to others. It also helps me feed into our influencing work in different forums”.
Art of the Matter
19 March | London | free
For 2025 the Clinks Family Network and the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) Anne Peaker Lecture are joining forces to bring you an in-person event: Art of the Matter - If family relationships are the golden thread to supporting children affected by parental imprisonment, what role can the arts play in this?
This event will celebrate the work of the voluntary sector working to support children and families of those in the criminal justice system, by creating opportunities to share learning and good practice, network and consider future opportunities. Book your ticket here
Arts Council England 2027 NPO launch
The next National Portfolio investment programme will launch in Spring 2025. The timeline, eligibility criteria for the programme and an update on the next Elevate programme can be found here.
Third Sector Strategic Partnership Approach
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have developed the Third Sector Strategic Partnership Approach with the intention of providing guiding principles of how to engage and work with organisations that work within the criminal justice system. The Third Sector Partnerships and Programmes team developed the approach through consultation with colleagues and with the Third Sector through a series of engagement events. Through this, the approach was further refined and an action plan developed in response to the feedback that was received.
The approach has been distributed to colleagues across the MoJ and HMPPS and is to be used as a guide in engagement with the third sector whether that be developing policy, strategy or operational activity. The intention is that the Third Sector Strategic Partnership Approach will be adopted and referred to in every interaction the MoJ and HMPPS has with partners in the Third Sector. Find out more here
Prison Statistics
The Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile 2025 was published this month by the Prison Reform Trust. As well as containing all the latest information on prisons, it warns that a sharp increase in prison recalls is worsening overcrowding. Over 32,500 individuals were recalled in the past year—a 27% rise, with short-term recalls surging 51%. Recalls now account for 18% of sentenced prisoners, mostly for non-compliance rather than new crimes.
The Trust urges reforms, including:
- Ending short fixed-term recalls (28 days or less)
- Removing post-sentence supervision for short sentences
- Expanding community support to prevent reoffending.
Chief Executive Pia Sinha stresses that excessive recalls hinder rehabilitation and contradict efforts to ease prison pressures. Read more here
Vision for the future of Probation
The Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, has outlined her vision for reforming the Probation Service, aiming to cut crime by focusing on higher-risk offenders while reducing administrative burdens on staff. The key reforms announced were:
- 1,300 more probation officers recruited by March 2026, following 1,000 officers already set to be recruited by this March.
- A shift in case management - low-risk individuals will be supervised differently, allowing officers to focus on higher-risk offenders.
- Accredited Programmes prioritisation process - ensuring rehabilitation programmes are completed before the sentence ends.
- New digital tools to cut down administrative work.
- A new risk assessment system to enhance decision-making.
- AI technology trials-exploring how AI can record and transcribe supervision conversations, reducing staff admin time.
These reforms are aimed at enhancing public safety, reducing reoffending, and improving support for probation officers. Read the full announcement
The 2025 Koestler Awards are open
Koestler Arts have now opened the 2025 Koestler Awards for people in contact with the criminal justice system. Entrants can submit up to five creative entries in music, writing, and visual arts and crafts for the chance to receive feedback, win prizes (including cash prizes) and be exhibited. You can send in anything creative in 53 categories. Entry closes on 11 April. For an entry pack or more information follow this link
Ark Foundation launch new Writers Group
“We are thrilled to introduce our newest initiative - a dedicated writers group created to pull back the veil of traditional publishing and provide members with support, resources, community, fundraising guidance, and an opportunity to be published in Arkbound’s annual literary magazine. We invite writers - published and aspiring - to fill out the Arkbound Writers Group Interest Form! Whether you’re working on your first manuscript, fine-tuning your third, or looking for a collaborative space to casually practice writing, we hope to hear from you. It’s free to participate”. More info here
Making Time – Every Prison a Creative Hub
76 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6LP
This has been extended to 1 April 2025 to enable more people to see it via Special Event days (by appointment email: l.gamman@csm.arts.ac.uk if you want to visit). It showcases some of the outcomes of a series of eight creative co-production engagements with prisoners from HMP Downview, HMP Isis, HMP Standford Hill, HMP Wandsworth, and HMP Peterborough, including fashion outputs. The Untold logo co designed with prisoners at HMP Isis, for example, featured in the show delivered by Here design agency, with HMP Isis and the Design Against Crime Research Lab at CSM in November 2024 and led to an award for social impact from the BIA (Brand Impact Awards agency). Yet creative activities are still seen by some as a ‘luxury’ for prisoners, even though there is strong evidence that creative interactions are a pragmatic source of skills-building rehabilitation leading to desistance. Professor Lorraine Gamman of Central Saint Martins who co curated the expo observes; “Evidence indicates that creative learning can help reduce recidivism and crime. It delivers useful vocational skills and fuels different internal dialogues and aspirations that lead some prisoners to start to change from within, and to find a route towards paid work and desistance.”
New book! Arts in Criminal Justice and Corrections: International Perspectives on Methods, Journeys, and Challenges, edited by Amanda Gardner and Laura Caulfield
This is the first volume to bring together leading figures from three continents to explore key methodological approaches and issues through the lens of the researchers themselves. Methodology chapters alternate with profiles of contributors from myriad backgrounds to highlight the role of researchers in evidencing impact and influencing policy. The book is essential reading for criminologists engaged in prisons, corrections, and desistance research, as well as researchers and practitioners in the arts and rehabilitation. “Informed by recent research in the field, this innovative and international book focuses on the intersection of the arts, corrections and criminal justice. This is an authoritative and accessible book which poses some important questions in light of different approaches and compelling positive evidence of impact. The book is beyond compare!” Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, England. Find out more here
Give Sorrow Words Showcase
11 March | HMP Thameside | free
“I run a project called Give Sorrow Words in HMP Thameside which compromises of once-a-week sessions for eight weeks culminating in a performance devised by the group. Each week we focus on a different theme such as guilt, mercy and helplessness and I bring excerpts of literature, particularly Shakespeare which we analyse as a group - talking about how the themes/feelings are relevant or not to the men's life experiences. Throughout the course, we devise a performance which captures snippets of pieces we have read alongside poems/songs etc the men have written after having been inspired by the material”. Booking via email
Limitless
11 March | HMP YOI Isis | free
A powerful music concert presented by Untold in collaboration with the talented young men at HMP ISIS. This event will celebrate the transformative power of music, creativity, and community, as they share their Untold Stories through song and performance. RSVP form
Clinks Training - Why gender matters in the criminal justice system - 2 part workshop
11 & 12 March | online | from £95
Do you have frontline staff or volunteers who are new to working or volunteering in your organisation and want to increase their understanding of why gender matters for women in the criminal justice system? If so, join us for this two-part entry-level workshop. Topics covered: policy context; whole system approach; prevention and diversion; community supervision; custody; and resettlement. Find out more and book here
Almost Home
19 March–11 May | Newcastle upon Tyne | free
Koestler Arts and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art are pleased to present Almost Home, an exhibition showcasing artwork, music and writing made in criminal justice settings in the North East of England. The exhibition was co-curated by six women serving sentences at HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Low Newton. During four sessions delivered by Koestler Arts in the art class at HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Low Newton, the group considered almost 300 works made in the region and selected 70 to be displayed. The exhibition selection reflects the women’s shared standpoint, looking outwards and forwards towards freedom and home, while honouring the diversity of experience within the group and among exhibited artists. Many of the works depict movement, transition, and journeys of various kinds – some turbulent, but all hopeful. Others reflect the different meanings ‘home’ can have for people. There are the things, people, and places artists miss and look forward to returning to, sources of comfort and community, including city skylines, rural landscapes, pubs, places of worship, food, and pets. Find out more here
Scenes from Lost Mothers
25 & 26 March | Embassy Theatre London | various pricing
An exclusive public showing of Clean Break's new touring production, exploring pregnancy and motherhood in prisons. With the voices of women with lived experience of prison at its heart, the play explores the multiple challenges faced by women who spend their pregnancy awaiting the possibility of separation, and those who are compulsorily separated from their babies. Followed by Q&A with the cast, playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, director Anna Herrmann, researcher and midwife Dr Laura Abbott and director of Birth Companions Naomi Delap. Book here
Open Clasp’s: RUPTURE
March 2025 | various dates & venues
Open Clasp Theatre Company are delighted to invite you to an event that showcases their latest production, Rupture. Rupture is a one-woman show made in partnership with NEPACS and Durham University that showcases their latest collaboration on Mothers, Prison and Parental Rights. Created with women in HMP Low Newton, the show shines a spotlight on the impact of imprisonment on mothers, focusing on how mothers who have had children removed from their care, navigate their parental rights from inside prison. The play will showcase the research findings and achievements of the Parental Rights in Prison Project, a specialist HMPPS funded prison-based intervention in HMP Low Newton women’s prison between January 2021 and December 2022. Rupture brings to live this vital research surrounding the true-life experiences of mothers in prison. Following the performance, a panel of experts will be invited to respond to the themes tackled in the play in a post-show panel discussion. We want to kick start a conversation about mothers, prison and parental rights, and for us to collectively explore how we can bring about change. Book here
Arts Council England Conference - Engaging Communities in Arts and Culture
3 April | Salford | free
A national conference exploring best practice in arts and culture engaging a wide range of communities and groups, including those who have not always had the opportunity to take part. It will cover both young people and wider communities. It will showcase the impact arts and culture has in transforming places and lives, improving wellbeing, tackling difficult issues and working in challenging settings, as well as broadening opportunities to engage with excellent art and culture. Book here
Punishment Acts: Tales of Retribution, Reparation and Redemption
9–17 April, 19:30 | Stoke on Trent | £10 (£6.50 concessions)
Punishment Acts is Rideout's new show that draws on the ideas of people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage including custody. Made following a series of workshops with Stoke-on-Trent based CIC, Expert Citizens, exploring themes in Michel Foucault's seminal text Discipline and Punish, it will ask audiences to reflect on beliefs about punishment and consider whether there are other ways to achieve 'justice'. This play is the culmination of a two-year research project celebrating 25 years of Rideout's work in the criminal justice system led by Dr Sarah Bartley from Central School of Speech and Drama. Punishment Acts is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Arts Council England. Book here
Creating a Parental Imprisonment-Aware Environment
23 March–9 July | online | £125
Children Heard and Seen are committed to identifying and supporting every child with a parent in prison, ensuring they receive the essential support to thrive and feel secure in a nurturing and non-judgmental environment. Their training program will equip you with the tools and support needed to create a parental imprisonment-aware environment within your educational setting. This certificated six-session online course is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the wide-ranging effects of parental imprisonment on children. The program will explore the emotional, physical, behavioural, and mental health implications, shedding light on the often-hidden trauma associated with this experience. By delving into this recognised Adverse Childhood Experience, we aim to address the invisibility and stigma surrounding parental imprisonment and foster greater awareness and understanding. In addition, this program will equip you with the confidence and skills to effectively support and work with children and young people who have been impacted. You will also gain the confidence to support your colleagues in this specific area of work. Furthermore, the program will raise your awareness about the significance of implementing whole-school approaches and providing targeted support to address the needs of these children and young people. Every two weeks, you will actively engage in six two-hour sessions. During these sessions, you will have the opportunity to delve into a variety of activities, including group reflective sessions to encourage personal growth, in-depth discussions on work-related topics to foster collaboration, sharing of best practices to enhance professional development, and exploration of successful initiatives to inspire innovation. Book here
The Other Side of the Wall
24-26 March | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | £375
“It is the best training course I have accessed for a long time. Excellent level of skill... Brilliant.”
“I feel confident because of the time spent practising. Will definitely recommend to others.”
A three-day training course exploring the principles behind Geese’s use of theatre and drama in secure and community settings. Led by Geese’s most experienced practitioner, with over 30 years’ experience of delivering theatre projects in criminal justice settings. Limited to a maximum of 10 participants. Book here
The Jasmine Project
The Jasmine Project is a literacy project that involves “Writing the Global Majority Experience”. Led by Kate, a writer, poet, and creative facilitator with years of experience in prisons and probation settings, this opportunity gives voice to people of the Global Majority who have experienced the criminal justice system. Supported by the Royal Society of Literature’s Literature Matters Award, this initiative will run creative writing workshops across England. Participants will produce poetry, short stories, lyrics, and flash fiction, which will be compiled into a published collection.
How you can help?
- Organisations: can you provide workshop spaces or connect the project with interested individuals?
- Participants: are you from the Global Majority with criminal justice system experience? Share your story - anonymously if preferred.
To get involved email thejasmineproject@outlook.com
Prison sewing project
A unique project is being established in Pentonville where volunteer sewing teachers and MA design students from Central Saint Martins will be helping inmates learn both sewing and design skills. Surplus fabric from the textile trade, which would otherwise end up in landfill, will be upcycled in a supportive and creative space in which input from the prisoners will be strongly encouraged. The goal is for learners to feel proud of their achievements and take new-found skills and belief with upon release. An ideal long-term aim is to establish a brand of prison-produced goods, well-designed and made, that the public will appreciate and support. E-mail prisonsewingproject@gmail.com to learn more or to get involved.
Writers Toolbox 2
“As you may know, Imagine if Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Chesca Joy, sadly died in May last year. As a legacy to Chesca, we are delighted to announce that we are launching - Writers Toolbox 2, led by Bafta winning TV writer, Mark Catley”.
What is it? Writers' Toolbox 2 is a six-month paid opportunity focusing on writing for stage and screen. Participants will begin working on a new piece of theatre, TV or film and there will be sessions on securing funding to produce their own work and a pitch event to share their writing and make connections with industry professionals.
Who is it for? It is for working-class women with all levels of writing experience who can commit to attending each session (in Leeds) and to doing homework in between the workshops. They are particularly keen to encourage women with experience of the care or criminal justice systems to apply. Participants will be paid to attend the workshops and reasonable expenses will be covered. Deadline for applications is 7 March. Find out more and apply here
Vacancies
Volunteer Teacher – Prison Sewing Project
Project Assistant: Suicide Prevention Film Unit Project - INSIDE JOB PRODUCTIONS
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
What do you get if you cross a goose with a marimba? This experiment uses machine learning to make hybrid sounds that you can make music with – have a go here.
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
The next NCJAA newsletter will be sent on Thursday 24 April. 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 Monday 14 April.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is bi-monthly. Email artsalliance@clinks.org if you wish to submit any news.
The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance is embedded in Clinks.
Get involved Become a Member | Follow Clinks on Twitter | Follow NCJAA on Twitter
Contact us www.clinks.org | www.artsincriminaljustice.org.uk | info@clinks.org | 020 4502 6774
Click here to manage your subscriptions. For assistance, email info@clinks.org