National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance News | May 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
Safeguarding and the arts training: last chance for early bird tickets

The deadline for booking your early bird ticket for 'Safeguarding training: arts and criminal justice' is 31st May. Join us in Manchester on 23rd June for a session run by Mike Sheath from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. The training will be tailored to cover carrying out creative practices safely in criminal justice settings. In particular, it will focus on how the artists' role is different to other practitioners, and how to enable creative processes with vulnerable people whilst keeping participants and facilitators safe. It will also cover general safeguarding in criminal justice settings, statutory frameworks and working with people who have committed sexual offences. Early bird prices are £50 per person. After 31st May, tickets will be £75 per person. Click here to book your place.

New blogging opportunities

Do you have a story to tell or a project to share? We've teamed up with Russell Webster, who writes a blog on criminal justice, to provide one slot a month for a National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) member to share their work. Russell posts new content on his blog daily, and has a subscription list of over 2,500 people. There will be the opportunity for your piece to be cross-posted to the NCJAA's blog, and we will share each new post through our website and social media channels. If you are interested or would like to find out more, please email kate.davey@clinks.org.

Arts, culture and innovation in criminal justice settings: a guide for commissioners

Have you seen our guide for commissioners yet? The guide provides those with responsibility for supporting the education, health, wellbeing and reintegration to society of individuals within the criminal justice system with clear information on the valuable role arts can play in supporting these objectives. It includes practical information and ideas for those wishing to commission artists and arts organisations. It also includes details of how to identify providers and case studies demonstrating how arts activities can be used to meet the needs of offenders. Click here to read the guide.

Want to include something in the next newsletter?

We will be sending out next newsletter on Thursday 29th June. Please email kate.davey@clinks.org with any submissions by Tuesday 20th June.

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Events and training
Beyond Bars

31st May | London | free

‘Beyond Bars’ is an arts-festival showcasing the work of former prisoners. Through music, poetry and theatrical performances, this festival aims to challenge the efficacy of punishment today and give voice to the lived experiences of those subjected to it. The event is part of a series of activities from Safe Ground and the Howard League for Penal Reform, and the University of Warwick which aim to raise awareness of prison issues and offer practical recommendations. Book tickets here.

Women, theatre and criminal justice: international perspectives and practices

5th June 2017 | Queen Mary's University, London | Free

This day-long symposium is an invitation to artists, academics, policy makers and professionals working in criminal justice and women's services to consider the distinctiveness of theatre practices that engage directly with women affected by the criminal justice system. Led by Clean Break and Queen Mary's University, delegates will have the chance to hear artists and academics from Australia, South Africa and the UK talk about their practice and the socio-political conditions that shape it. Additionally, the day offers an opportunity to develop research questions to inform the development of an international network addressing issues of women, theatre and criminal justice. Click here to book tickets.

Information day: Voyage's Horizon Plus programme

9th June 2017 | London | Free

Voyage are holding an information day where delegates can find out more about their expanded Horizon Plus programme. The Horizon Plus programme will be offered as a structured summer intervention programme for two cohorts in August and as a day release course in November. It aims to provide a safe, educational and developmental space for young people, and has been developed to support effective compliance with young people's sentencing and bail orders and conditions. The programme will also include weekly mentoring for BAME young people aged between 15 and 19. Click here for more information.

Creative Minds North

15th June 2017 | Manchester | £35 + ticket fee

Creative Minds North is the fourth regional disability led conference in the UK produced by Carousel and Venture Arts in collaboration with a number of other organisations. The conference will continue the discussion about how art is created by people with learning disabilities and the way this art is talked about, created and presented. The main themes for this conference are: how do we create great art? What does the term professional mean? How can the work be best described and discussed? How can we help the wider arts world to commission work? At the conference there will be performance, film and visual work, and there will be opportunities to talk or address the conference themes in a variety of accessible ways. Click here for more information.

Rewriting justice: an introduction to theatre writing in criminal justice settings

22nd June 2017 | London | £55 - £85

This one day course, delivered by Clean Break, is for theatre artists, early career playwrights and criminal justice professionals with an interest in the specialised field of theatre, women and criminal justice. Through drama and theatre writing exercises, group work and discussion, participants will learn creative ideas and exercises, explore best practice, gain confidence and skills for managing challenging situations, and hear insights about working in prisons. Click here for more information.

Prison safety and reform: restoring stability, transforming lives programme

27th June 2017 | Manchester | £160

This full day conference with a wide range of speakers will explore how to implement the government proposals for prison reform and supporting those working within the prison system to raise standards and make our prisons places of safety and reform. Learn more about the government plans to reform the UK prison system and how proposals can be implemented to drive improvement. Gain a greater understanding of plans for more autonomy and flexibility for governors as well as share your own stories and experiences and contribute to wider thinking about prison reform. Click here for more information.

Creative Bridges Conference 2017

29th - 30th July 2017 | Bristol | £85 - £200

This collaborative and interdisciplinary conference will draw on the experience of researchers, practitioners, and participants to explore and expand the diversity of creative writing for therapeutic purposes. The event will explore themes from a range of disciplines, including literature, counselling, neuropsychology, medicine, emotional geography, and socio-spiritual approaches, and will showcase relevant research and practice, assess the current picture of the field and find inspiring and robust ways forward for both research and practice. Click here for more information.

PhotoVoice Participatory Photography Training

Various dates | Brixton, London | £375 - £525

This three day public training programme is for practitioners wanting to learn more about the practicalities and ethics of running participatory photography projects. Drawing upon PhotoVoice's experience gained from running participatory photography projects with excluded communities around the world, the training includes participatory workshops, and a forum for questions and discussion. It covers key aspects such as practicalities, methodologies, ethnics, participatory tools, facilitation skills and participatory frameworks. The training is suitable for a wide range of participants interested in social change and photography or digital media, including photographers, visual practitioners, voluntary sector staff, campaigners, statutory sector workers, researchers and academics. Click here for more information.

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Arts and criminal justice news
Blog: the impact of creativity

The Exceptionals have blogged about the positive impact of creativity on people with convictions. Across the criminal justice system, there are many organisations providing individuals with a wide variety of creative opportunities, from singing in a choir to independent, high-quality needlework, all of which have the ultimate aim of helping their participants build new futures for themselves. Click here to read the blog post.

Autism accreditation in prison

In this Clinks blog, Clare Hughes from the National Autistic Society discusses how autism accreditation, an autism specific quality assurance programme managed by the National Autistic Society, is improving prison standards, and talks about how the training benefits staff and prisoners alike. Clare says, "In 2016, HMYOI Feltham became the first prison to achieve Autism Accreditation. Due to this work, HMYOI Feltham, their partners and the National Autistic Society were recently awarded the Sternberg Clinical Innovation Award by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists." Click here to read the blog.

Regional networks for social prescribing

Regional social prescribing networks are taking off, supported by the national social prescribing network. Those engaged in arts and cultural provision have much to offer to these, including expertise in delivering arts, museums and books on prescription schemes, and in partnering with others to ensure that people have access to creative activities. Click here for more information.

The impact on children in police raids: an animation

Pact has released an animation telling the real life story of a child whose home was raided by police. The animation, which was co-created with children and young people who have been affected by the imprisonment of a parent or close family member, is the first in a series which will highlight the trauma and fear that children often experience when their homes are raided by police. Watch the video here.

Bird on the wing: theatre and rehabilitation

Imagine If Theatre is looking to partner with organisations on their project 'Bird on the Wing'. This is a 90 hour intensive course for prisoners who are due for release within twelve weeks with the aim to improve their confidence, communication skills and employability skills. They are seeking organisations who may be able to offer training or volunteer/job placements to some of the participants. For more information please email chesca@imagineiftheatre.co.uk.

Recognising Helen Pringle's contribution to the field of arts and criminal justice

Clean Break is very sad to announce the death of its longstanding employee Helen Pringle, Head of Finance and Senior Producer, who passed away peacefully on 14th May following a long period of living with cancer. Helen joined Clean Break in September 2001, having had several years' experience of working as a stage and production manager within the arts and social inclusion field. After gaining a diploma in Technical Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College, Helen worked for several theatre companies including Trestle, Half Moon, Theatre Centre and Spare Tyre, before joining Theatre Venture as Production Manager and then as General Manager. Lucy Perman, Executive Director of Clean Break said: "Helen was much admired and much loved, and is dearly missed by the Clean Break team and the family of women theatre artists in and around the company. She leaves a great legacy and strong memories of her passion for making theatre and for making a difference to the lives of women affected by the criminal justice system."

Clinks blog: party manifestos

Earlier than expected, the country will go to the polls on 8th June to elect a new UK parliament. The 2017 General Election campaign is underway and most of the main parties have now published their manifestos. Clinks' CEO Anne Fox has summarised the main pledges in relation to criminal justice affecting England and Wales, with links to the manifestos in full. Click here to read the blog.

Call out for photographs to accompany film by Good Vibrations

Malcolm Milner, Training and Development Manager at Good Vibrations, is looking for images from arts and criminal justice projects to accompany a piece of Gamelan music in a video about the benefits of the arts in criminal justice settings. The music he is using is a compilation of approximately 750 men and women in different prisons performing the same piece of Javanese traditional music. Malcolm is looking for high quality images that represent the importance of the work being done by arts and criminal justice organisations. For more information, please email Malcolm: malcolmcmilnergv@gmail.com.

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Resources & publications
New toolkit from ArtWorks Scotland

A new toolkit for anyone delivering arts and creative learning through collaborative or participatory projects and programmes has been launched by ArtWorks Scotland. The ideas and approaches have been developed through collaborative engagement with artists, professionals from other sectors and participants working in this area. The toolkit is made up of a guidance document and a set of downloadable tools. The core of the toolkit is a set of prompt questions to help consider what is important and what can be improved. Click here for more information.

A shared society

Civil Exchange has published 'A Shared Society? The independence of the voluntary sector in 2017.' The sixth in a series of annual health checks on the relationship of the state and the voluntary sector, the report explores the potential of the new context created by Brexit, including Theresa May's personal commitment to a Shared Society, and looks at what needs to change to make that vision a reality. Clinks CEO Anne Fox contributes, alongside several prominent figures from the sector. Click here to read more.

Corston +10: The Corston Report 10 Years on

This report, published by Women in Prison examines the progress made against the recommendations of Baroness Corston's 2007 report on vulnerable women in the criminal justice system. The report highlights five key areas for systemic change: expansion of and sustained funding for women's centres; expansion of liaison and diversion schemes nationally to divert women away from custody; development of specialist community support, including mental health and accommodation support for women affected by the criminal justice system; sentencing reform with greater use of alternatives to custody; and coordinated working between all agencies involved with women affected by the criminal justice system. 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