National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance News | July 2017

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
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) has released its new Expectations which include access to creative activities

Following the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance's response to a consultation on the provision in men's prisons, we are pleased to see our recommendations appear in the form of a new expectation that prisoners can access creative activities which promote learning, wellbeing and support rehabilitation. The HMIP's expectations are the documents which set out the detailed criteria HMIP uses to appraise and inspect prisons and other custodial establishments. The new guidelines expect that prisoners are encouraged to engage in creative activities to promote more formal learning and boost employability; that they have access to creative opportunities to improve health and wellbeing; are encouraged to engage in creative activities to reflect upon their lives and social responsibilities; that art and cultural experiences are used to enhance the prison environment; and that creative activities are used to help prisoners maintain contact with their children and families and to promote resettlement into the community. You can read the new expectations here.

New blog: responding to a changing landscape

In our latest blog post, Lizzie Bond from Changing Tunes reflects on and responds to Clinks' 2017 State of the Sector report. She says: "Clinks' State of the Sector report has been both a confirmation and a wake up call. In relation to the former, it confirms the legitimacy of our aims as an organisation to keep diversifying our project and income base to better meet beneficiary need and become more sustainable. It is also a wake up call, showing just how difficult it is not just to survive, but to thrive in the current climate." Click here to read the post.

Become a member of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance

The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance provides a vital network for those working in arts and criminal justice. We champion the needs of the sector, provide resources and opportunities, host good practice events and represent our members in discussions with policymakers at the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. We conduct and commission evidence into the crucial work of our members and our award-winning Evidence Library houses a unique archive of research reports and evaluations. Our membership is free, and as a member you can influence how the Alliance does its work, learn about innovative projects, meet potential collaborators, find out about up to date policy and key meetings, enjoy free marketing opportunities, draw on the Alliance's wealth of high quality evidence, and join in the conversation on our blog. Click here to find out more about becoming a member.

Want to include something in the next newsletter?

We will be sending out the next newsletter on Thursday 31st August. Please email kate.davey@clinks.org with any submissions by Tuesday 22nd August.

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Events and training
XX at Bethlem Gallery

Until 26th August 2017 | Bethlem Gallery, Beckenham | Free

XX exhibition at Bethlem Gallery includes work by over 30 artists spanning the two decades of the gallery's existence. Over the years, the gallery has campaigned for access to the arts in health environments, and continues to champion the important role that art can play in our lives. Curator Jane Fradgley says of her peers and their work: "For me the wonderful abundance of responses, whether playful, thoughtful, fantastical, dark or vibrant never ceases to inspire. With truth and beauty this unique and profound collective of creative people, driven by a myriad off experiences, share insights with courage, stay different and continue to live another day." The exhibition is accompanied by a lively events programme. Click here for more information.

Free courses for ex-prisoners with Synergy Theatre Project

4th September - 6th November and 18th September - 20th November 2017 | London | Free

Synergy Theatre Project is offering two free ten week courses for ex-prisoners between September and November. Introduction to Film Production will look at different roles and departments working behind the scenes within the film industry, and Introduction to Scriptwriting will support participants to bring their stories to life. No previous experience is required, just a commitment and a willingness to give it a go. For more information, email info@synergytheatreproject.co.uk or call 0203 668 6730.

Doing things different: the Prisoner Learning Alliance conference

14th September 2017 | Leicester | Free

The Prisoners' Education Trust is holding the Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA) conference on the theme 'Doing things differently: a new era for prison education,' focusing on the different ways in which prisons, providers and voluntary sector organisations are adapting to this changing landscape. Confirmed speakers include Russ Trent (Governor, HMP Berwyn), Phil Novis (Governor, HMP Leicester) and Maria Navarro (National Lead for Offender Learning, Ofsted). The conference will also feature the annual PLA awards, recognising people who have made outstanding contributions to learning in prison, all nominated by serving prisoners. Click here for more information and to book.

Unlocking potential: supporting young people to reach their potential through meaningful arts interventions

21st September 2017 | Denbigh, Wales | £20 - £30

Join Engage Cymru for this event looking at supporting young people to reach their potential through arts interventions. The event will bring together youth offending teams, local authority officers, educators, artists and arts organisations to share knowledge and expertise, hear about exemplary practice from across the UK, and to explore recommendations in the Charlie Taylor Review for reducing reoffending. Click here for more information and to book.

Dance Creates: a conference exploring young people's voice in dance choreography and performance

26th October 2017 | Yorkshire | £20 - £55

Yorkshire Dance and Children and Young People's Dance Network North have organised this conference for anyone interested or involved in dance for young people, with the aim of exploring the voice of young people in dance choreography and performance. The event will provide the opportunity to hear directly from young people and watch new work. Click here for more information.

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Arts and criminal justice news
Chief Inspector of Prisons highlights prison safety in annual report

The main conclusion of Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons, in his annual report is that "prison reform will not succeed unless the violence and prevalence of drugs in jail are addressed and prisoners and unlocked for more of the working day." The report, published on 18th July, is based on 86 individual inspection reports on prisons, police custody suites, immigration removal centres and other custodial establishments. The report found that three quarters of inspected prisons were deemed 'poor' or 'not sufficiently good' in the area of safety, and the Chief Inspector raised particular concerns about children and young people in custodial settings. The Chief Inspector said: "In many cases the response to previous recommendations has been unforgivably poor." Click here to read the full report.

Antifreeze: celebrating visual art in Northampton in 2018

Antifreeze is a unique celebration of visual art which will take place across Northampton in the autumn of 2018. It aims to be inclusive and non-hierarchical, and invites submissions from arts organisations in prisons, hospitals, care homes, community centres, universities, arts societies and studio collectives. Antifreeze aims to offer a platform to thousands of people, both trained and untrained, who make important, compelling and persuasive work but who are excluded, disengaged, disinclined or simply unable to conform to prevailing conventions. There will be no submission charges, and all selected work will be collected and returned free of charge from designated drop-off centres across the UK. Antifreeze will officially be launched this September, but for more information please email antifreeze@northampton.ac.uk.

European arts and restorative justice booklet

The European Forum for Restorative Justice will publish a booklet on arts and restorative justice for their RJ Week 2017, which is happening in November. Their communications officer is currently looking for submissions about arts projects used either as a form of dialogue between victims and offenders and/or for raising awareness about restorative justice to a wider audience. The deadline for submissions is 1st October 2017. Please email emanuela.biffi@euforumrj.org if you would like to contribute to the booklet.

Arts Council England's Catalyst Small Grants programme open now

Arts Council England's Catalyst Small Grants programme supports organisations to build fundraising capacity to enable them to attract more private giving to arts and culture. It does this by supporting organisations to invest in systems training and developments for staff, volunteers and boards or to cover the cost of external expertise to support their fundraising. The programme offers one off investment of between £10,000 and £30,000. The deadline for applications is 10th August 2017 and applicants will be notified of the decision no later than 12th January 2018. Click here for more information.

Challenges facing criminal justice charities

Clinks' Head of Policy and Communications, Nathan Dick, has written an article in the Guardian discussing the impact of the voluntary sector on the UK's criminal justice system. More people are working in criminal justice charities than in the prison and probation services combined. He writes, "We know the prison system is in desperate need of reform and that probation services are struggling to resettle people into the community. We believe the voluntary sector is key to any reform because it is the backbone of our rehabilitation and resettlement services." Read the blog post here.

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Resources & publications
Clinks' State of the Sector report

Every year Clinks surveys voluntary sector organisations to collect information about how healthy the sector is, the role it is playing, and the wellbeing of service users. This year's report explores how voluntary organisations working in criminal justice are faring. It found that during political change, voluntary organisations remain resilient and innovative but the safety net is shrinking and the people the sector supports are finding it harder to access the help they need. Voluntary organisations play an essential role in people's lives, but the challenges they experience are significant and ignoring them is not an option. The report looks at the results from a survey of over 200 voluntary organisations working in criminal justice, the financial analysis of 757 charities and 220 companies, and 10 in depth interviews. Click here to read more.

Creative Health: the arts for health and wellbeing

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPGAHW) was formed in 2014 and aims to improve awareness of the benefits that the arts can bring to health and wellbeing. During 2015-17, the APPGAHW conducted an Inquiry into practice and research in the arts in health and social care, with a view to making recommendations to improve policy and practice. The Inquiry report presented the findings of two years of research, evidence gathering and discussions with patients, health and social care professionals, artists and arts administrators, academics, people in local government, ministers, other policy makers and parliamentarians from both Houses of Parliament. Click here to read the report.

Arts Council England launch self-evaluation toolkit

Arts Council England's self-evaluation toolkit aims to help organisations and partnerships in the arts, cultural and creative sectors to improve their work whilst building confidence and resilience. The toolkit enables organisations and individuals to reflect on their work in private and at their own pace. Click here to find out more about the toolkit.

Prison: the facts

The Prison Reform Trust has published its most recent edition of the Bromley Briefings, providing up to date data on imprisonment in the UK. The briefing covers sentencing, use of remand, trends in the prison population, safety in prison, staffing levels and data relating to rehabilitation and resettlement. It highlights increasing use of long prison sentences, high levels of overcrowding and the lowest levels of safety since records began. It also explores data relating to specific groups within the prison system such as black, Asian and minority ethnic people, people with learning disabilities, women and older prisoners. Notable trends include continuing increases in the length of sentences for more serious crimes and a significant increase in people recalled to custody following their release. Click here to read more.

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