National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance News | August 2016

The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice

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In this month's issue...

National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
Events and training
Arts and criminal justice news
Resources & publications

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National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
We have a changed our name - and we have a new website!

This month sees the launch of our brand new website (which you can visit by clicking here) as well as our new name, National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance. Our name change was in response to feedback from our stakeholders and funders. The new website is mobile and tablet compatible. It includes information on all of our key strands of work - promoting arts organisations, building the evidence base, supporting and informing policy, practice development and developing audiences. If you are a member and would like to update any of your, or your organisation's, details on our member list please email kate.davey@clinks.org. Please bear with us as new sites often have teething problems - if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

Book now for our annual conference

Our annual conference is on 5th October at HMP Askham Grange in York. The day will explore innovation and creativity in criminal justice reform. It is aimed at governors, Heads of Learning and Skills, Heads of Reducing Reoffending, health and substance misuse senior prison staff, CRCs and arts and voluntary sector organisations. The conference sees the launch of a new guide on how to commission arts projects in criminal justice settings in response to the Coates Review and the Culture White Paper. The conference and publication highlight the unique role of the arts in supporting rehabilitation, including how arts can support safe and secure prisons and improve outcomes for offenders across the prison estate and in the community. It provides evidence and best practice case studies to inspire governors and commissioners in a new autonomous environment. Speakers include Mags Patten - National Director of Communications, Arts Council England, Simon Marshall - Head of Co-Commissioning and Programme Director, Education and Employment Reform Commissioning Group, and Graham Beck, Governor of HMP Kirkham. Click here to book your place.

Want to include something in the next newsletter?

Our next newsletter comes out on Thursday 29th September. Please email kate.davey@clinks.org with anything you would like included by Tuesday 20th September.

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Events and training
Safe Ground's Moving Home symposium

8th September 2016 | National Theatre, London

This year Safe Ground mark their 21st anniversary with their symposium 'MOVING. HOME.' The symposium is the culmination of a year-long series of public events to celebrate the anniversary. The aim of the symposium is to challenge and provoke ideas. Safe Ground will be looking at why they do the work they do, how they work and who they work with in the current social, political and economic climate. There will be dialogue, spoken word performances and dynamic activities. Click here for more information.

Creative Future Literary Awards showcase

8th September 2016 | Southbank Centre, London

Creative Future's annual Literary Awards showcases a range of talented writers from around the UK. Each of the twelve finalists, who will be announced on the day, will read their award-winning contributions, alongside readings from their critically acclaimed guest author Michelle Green and best-selling poet and playwright Lemn Sissay, who is also hosting the event. The finalists have been chosen from over 160 entries from around the country and were selected by a panel of industry experts. Each of the finalists receives a cash prize as well as a year's worth of professional and artistic development support, including mentorships with well known authors and manuscript assessments from professional editors. Click here to find out more and to book your ticket.

Exploring offender health in the North East

13th September 2016 | Durham | £25

Clinks, in partnership with Prison and Offender Research in Social Care and Health (PORSCH) Network, is holding a half day conference to explore offender health in the North East. The conference provides an overview of the offender health policy landscape, the opportunity to hear about voluntary organisations working in offender health, the chance to find out about research projects involving the voluntary sector, and space to discuss the challenges organisations and their service users are facing and identify solutions. Click here for more information.

Young People in the Justice System - delivering a positive outcome

13th September 2016 | London

Set to take place shortly after the release of the Taylor Review into the Youth Justice System, this forum will examine the way forward for youth justice policy in England and Wales. Planned sessions provide delegates with an opportunity to examine, in the context of February's interim report, how best to deliver small, more local secure schools environments, the implications to current Young Offender Institutions or Secure Training Centres and latest thinking on funding, training and governance structures. It explores what can be learned from the failings in the current system. Attendees will also consider the emerging options to create greater collaboration between the significant array of stakeholders to prevent young people from entering the system, appropriate handling of those on their initial offence and ways to approach reoffending. Click here for more information.

We are all human: a Koestler Trust exhibition

15th September - 13th November 2016 | Southbank Centre, London

'We are all human' is the UK's annual national showcase of arts by prisoners, ex-offenders on community sentences, secure psychiatric patients and immigration detainees. It is the ninth exhibition in an ongoing partnership between the Koestler Trust and Southbank Centre. This year's show is curated by writer and dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah. The exhibition features a wide range of artforms including painting, drawing, matchstick modelling, craft, music and writing all exploring themes of time, contemplation and the natural environment. Click here for more information.

Free ten week course for ex-prisoners

Starts 19th September 2016 | V&A, London | Free

Synergy Theatre Project are offering a free ten week course in spoken word for ex-prisoners. Working at the V&A, participants will learn voice, writing and performance techniques used by professionals, exploring them in fun, practical sessions. No previous experience is required, just a commitment and a willingness to give it a go. The course will run on Monday afternoons from 2 - 4pm. The deadline for applications is 14th September. For more information and to apply please email jessica@synergytheatreproject.co.uk or call 020 3668 6730.

Networking forum: working with women in the Criminal Justice System

19th September 2016 | Birmingham

Clinks, Women's Breakout, Women's Resource Centre and Agenda are hosting a series of networking forums for voluntary sector organisations working with women in the Criminal Justice System. The meetings provide updates on policy developments, networking and support and will enable Clinks to represent you and your organisation to government and other key stakeholders. These networking forums are held on a quarterly basis around the country. Click here for more information.

The Art of Recovery

7th - 14th October 2016 | Corn Exchange, Leeds

Following on from the success of the last two annual Art of Recovery events, the competition is now open to anyone in West Yorkshire in, or working towards, recovery. The showcase event features local judges, food, music and a celebration of creativity. The exhibition is open to the public, professionals, families and friends of all of the entrants. Click here for more information.

Changing Tunes annual concert

15th October 2016 | Bristol | £5

Join Changing Tunes for an evening of musical performances from people they have worked with in prison and get a chance to hear them talk about their journeys. Performances are supported by their Musicians in Residence and include a mixture of original songs and covers. Changing Tunes have run an annual concert in Bristol for more than 10 years, with previous events proving to be uplifting and thought-provoking. Click here for more information.

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Arts and criminal justice news
Clinks' Coates Review briefing

In September 2015, the then Secretary for Justice Michael Gove asked Dame Sally Coates to conduct a review into prison education and to make recommendations for how it could be improved. The review report, published on 18th May 2016, makes 31 recommendations, 17 of which are listed as key. The government accepted them all. This briefing summarises the main themes from the review and its recommendations and includes a timeline for implementation. Click here to read the briefing.

New Culture Secretary talks about importance of the arts

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley used her maiden speech to set out her plans to increase access to arts and culture. Karen stressed that arts "must be available to everyone, not the preserve of the privileged few... The challenge is how do we make sure culture, media and sport fit into everything we do? How do we give them their rightful place as part of our civil society?" She acknowledged that the "gap in arts engagement between white adults and adults from a black or minority ethnic background has widened. And people with a long-standing illness or disability are significantly less engaged in the arts." The short answer to the problem is to "pilot different schemes and expand and replicate the ones that work and do more of what we know works already." Click here to read the full speech.

Changing Tunes is looking for volunteers

Changing Tunes have a number of events and activities planned for the autumn. In order to carry out these events, they need volunteers. If you are musical and are interested in helping out Changing Tunes' musicians, or perhaps using your skills in the office or at their events, they would be interested in hearing from you. To express your interest please click here to complete the form. If you have any questions email kateh@changingtunes.org.uk.

Launch of new National Alliance of Musicians in Healthcare

A new alliance has been set up to represent a range of organisations and individuals committed to person-centred music practice in healthcare. The network has built over the past few years across the UK, and has now become an alliance to advocate for this work. The Alliance is looking for new members already working in this area. Click here to visit the National Alliance of Musicians in Healthcare's website.

Funding for local arts, culture and heritage

Grants of between £500,000 and £1.5 million are available from the Great Place Scheme, a £1.5 million pilot programme set up by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. The scheme will invest in 12 places across England to build on existing strengths within the local arts, culture and heritage sectors in order to maximise their positive cultural, social and economic contribution, build new partnerships, and develop these partnerships so that the contribution of their sector is recognised in and supported by long-term plans and strategies for the area. Applications must come from partnerships led by a not-for-profit organisation and match funding of at least 10% is required. The deadline for submitting an expression of interest is 6th October. Click here for further information.

Tailored review of Arts Council England

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is conducting a Tailored Review of Arts Council England (ACE). It will focus on efficiency, effectiveness and governance. The Tailored Review is a replacement for the cancelled Triennial Review of the Arts Council, which was due in 2015. The DCMS will create an online portal for stakeholders to contribute views. Some of their funded organisations may also be invited to take part in a small number of roundtables across the country. As part of the Review, ACE will be asked to demonstrate how it gets best value for the taxpayer and the sector. Click here for more information.

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Resources & publications
HM Inspectorate of Prisons Annual Report 2015-16

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales has published the Annual Report for 2015-16. The report shows that prisons have not improved and in some key areas have become even worse. The Chief Inspector states that: "Despite the sterling efforts of many who work in the Prison Service at all levels, there is a simple and unpalatable truth about far too many of our prisons. They have become unacceptably violent and dangerous. A large part of this violence is linked to the harm caused by new psychoactive substances (NPS) which are having a dramatic and destabilising effect in many of our prisons. The effects of these drugs can be unpredictable and extreme. Their use can be linked to attacks on other prisoners and staff, self-inflicted deaths, serious illness and life-changing self-harm." On a national level, while various aspects of the problem are being addressed through criminalising possession of NPS and the better use of testing and detention technologies, there is as yet no overall national strategy for dealing with the problem. Click here to read the report.

This newsletter is written monthly by Kate Davey.

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Clinks manages the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance and is the legally accountable body for all official National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance activity. Clinks is a registered charity registration no 1074546 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales no 3562176