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
Listening event: arts in criminal justice settings
We are holding a 'listening event' on 10th November (1 - 4pm) in Birmingham to bring together people working in arts and criminal justice settings across the West Midlands to talk about current challenges and good practice. The session will be an informal event to discuss current policy and practice and to share experience, knowledge and skills with others. It will also enable us to find out more about the issues affecting our members right now and what we can do to better support you. The event will be led by NCJAA Chair Alison Frater, NCJAA Manager Jessica Plant, and NCJAA Steering Group member and Artistic Director of Geese Theatre Company, Andy Watson. This is a free event open to members, artists, prison staff and Community Rehabilitation Companies, health providers, academics and other interested parties. To book a place please click here.
Arts, culture and innovation in criminal justice settings
We are very much looking forward to seeing many of you at HMP Askham Grange for our conference this Wednesday, 5th October. We hope the day will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the unique role of the arts in supporting rehabilitation, including promoting safe and secure prisons and improving outcomes for offenders across the prison estate and in the community. We are very nearly fully booked, but if you're interested in attending and haven't yet booked a place, please email events@clinks.org.
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
Our next newsletter comes out on Thursday 27th October. Please email kate.davey@clinks.org with any submissions by Tuesday 18th October.
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Events and training
Cathy: forum theatre tour
11th October 2016 - 9th February 2017 | various locations
Theatre company Cardboard Citizens presents this powerful and emotive piece of forum theatre, exploring resonances in today's society with the story told 50 years ago in the ground breaking Ken Loach film, Cathy Come Home. Forum theatre is an interactive style of theatre that empowers the audience to change the outcome, making every show a unique experience. Afterwards, the audience has the opportunity to voice opinions and ideas, which might change the course of the characters' lives. Or, if you prefer, sit back and watch as the story unfolds. Click here for more information.
Criminal justice since 2015: what happened? What next?
19th October 2016 | London
What's been happening in criminal justice across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland since the May 2015 General Election? Are there common patterns of criminal justice development across the UK's four nations and regions? Has criminal justice policy been characterised more by difference and divergence rather than similarity and convergence? With support from an expert panel of speakers and participants, the conference considers these and other questions. Policy areas covered will include policing, prosecution policy, courts and legal aid, sentencing, and prison and probation. As well as examining recent developments, delegates will consider the future challenges facing the UK, Welsh and Scottish governments, and the Northern Ireland executive. Click here for more information.
Funding for voluntary groups
19th October 2016 | London | From £145
GRANTfinder are holding a Masterclass in Funding event designed to meet the needs of voluntary groups, charities and Councils for Voluntary Service. Alongside GRANTfinder's team of trainers and policy specialists will be guest speakers with significant experience of applying for and distributing funding. Speakers include the Big Lottery Fund, funding expert Sue Scott, Cedarwood Trust and the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Delegates will take away tips on key principles of funding practice including digital engagement strategy; practical writing techniques; and lessons learned from both a grant recipient and grant giver's perspective. Click here to find out more.
New Beginnings Art Award 2016 exhibition in Surrey libraries
19th October 2016 - 23rd February 2017 | Libraries across Surrey
Exhibitions in various libraries across Surrey will showcase the diverse range of artistic talent displayed by women in contact with the Criminal Justice System. The works on display were all submitted to the Women's Support Centre as part of the New Beginnings 2016 tour, which is open to all women in Surrey prisons or those in contact with the Criminal Justice System. The exhibition opens at Walton Library, before moving onto Redhill Library and ending at Staines Library. Click here for more information.
Moving (swiftly) on... Why should anyone care about arts in prisons?
22nd October 2016, 3 - 5pm | Jesus College, University of Cambridge
Are the arts a luxury or do they actually make a difference? Join artists, prison arts practitioners and academics for a discussion about whether and how the arts really move people. Speakers include Sarah Colvin and Preti Taneja - School of Arts and Humanities, Cambridge, Anna Herrmann - Clean Break, Andy Watson - Geese Theatre Company, Alex Wheatle - writer, Andrew Wilkie - National Prison Radio, and Loraine Gelsthorpe - Professor of Criminology, Cambridge. The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance's Chair Alison Frater will chair the audience discussion. The event is part of the University of Cambridge's Festival of Ideas. Click here for more information and to book.
Alternative methods to prison resettlement
27th October 2016 | Birmingham | From £25
Clinks has invited Andy Laidlaw, Head of Reducing Reoffending at HMP Risley and Sara Lee, Artistic Director of the Irene Taylor Trust, to share findings from their 2015 Winston Churchill Travel Fellowships. In particular, looking at what works in the US and how can this help inform the future of rehabilitation in the UK and the role of music in resettlement and crime prevention. The seminar offers the chance to learn about effective practice in the USA and Norway and broaden thinking in regard to developing a rehabilitative culture in UK prisons. Click here for more information.
Building the bridge between health and the arts: the importance of training
28th October 2016 | Canterbury | Free
Aesop and the Canterbury Christ Church University's Faculty of Health and Wellbeing have identified continuing professional development as a key factor in the future of arts in health. They are working together to create the Aesop Institute training initiative. Initial market research has revealed that many see the Institute as important and timely. Potential benefits include: greater appreciation of the role the arts can play in health and wellbeing, clearer understanding of the difference between artistic and health roles, more trusting and effective partnerships between the health and arts sectors, opportunities to deliver health improvements and savings and giving arts organisations the chance to reach new audiences and develop new earned income streams. This event is an opportunity to contribute ideas on how training can help grow and enrich arts in health practice, research and policy. Click here for more information.
Learning through objects: transformative pedagogies in practice
23rd November 2016 | University of the Arts, London
Within participatory learning environments, objects can stimulate curiosity and ongoing interest. The transaction between the object and the viewer enables meaning to be constructed. Decoding objects develops transferable skills, such as critical thinking and communication and can help to develop deeper understanding of one's own assumptions and beliefs. This teaching platform will offer an opportunity for art and design educators to explore emerging best practice and articulate the specific contribution of art and design to the wider academic field of object-based learning. Themes covered by the day will include the use of archives and special collections in teaching, the object as mediator, the role of object-based teaching in developing skilled hand function and objects as a source of curriculum diversity. Click here for more information.
Ensuring cultural education in England: an inclusive curriculum, a pathway for talent and access to the arts for all
7th December 2016 | London
This forum assesses the progress made in ensuring all young people in England have access to high quality arts and cultural education. It also explores how to stem the decline in the number of students taking these subjects at school and beyond. Delegates will look at the importance of access to culture for young peoples' social and emotional wellbeing and all-round education and how the ongoing reduction to local authority budgets, coupled with reduced funding from the EU following Brexit, will affect cultural institutions in the UK and the opportunity and ability for them to partner with schools or organise events aimed at young people. Click here for more information.
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Arts and criminal justice news
EU funding uncertainty puts arts projects on hold
A recent Arts Professional article reports that mixed messages from government about the payment of European funding are forcing some arts organisations to put their plans on hold. Organisations that were told before the referendum that a Brexit vote would have no impact on their funding applications are now experiencing delays. Arts Council England (ACE)'s Director of Strategy Richard Russell has published a blog explaining the Treasury's guarantee on EU funding and looking at the future implications of Brexit. ACE is currently analysing responses to its survey assessing arts and culture sector views on the potential impact of the referendum. Click here to read the article.
Ed Vaizey encourages new Secretary of State for Justice to consider the importance of arts in prisons
Former Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries questioned the new Secretary of State for Justice, Liz Truss, about the future of arts in prisons. He said: "I hope that my right hon. Friend will recognise how the arts can bring prisoners to literacy and teach them a huge range of skills. I hope she will meet the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance at the earliest opportunity to discuss what the arts can do, particularly in respect of literacy." Liz Truss congratulated Ed Vaizey on his work in his former role, saying: "His legacy lives on, and it will live on in our prisons." Click here to read the full transcript.
Ministers support for the arts' impact on wellbeing
In the past couple of weeks, the new Culture Secretary and the Minister for the Arts have both made speeches praising the arts for their impact on health and wellbeing. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said "the arts can do wonders for mental and physical health as well as for people with long-term conditions like dementia and Parkinson's." While the Minister for Arts, Matt Hancock, discussed the intrinsic and instrumental values of the arts, "By their nature many modern advances, both digital and artistic, aren't measure in GDP." Click here to read more.
The Irene Taylor Trust is looking for a Business Development Manager
The Irene Taylor Trust is looking for an ambitious, proactive Business Development Manager (Maternity Cover) to help increase its delivery and to take the organisation to the next level. The post will be responsible for driving income generation, scoping and developing the opportunities arising from the new sub-contracting and commissioning culture emerging in the criminal justice sector, providing financial oversight and developing the business. The post is full time for one year, based in Borough, London. The deadline for applications is noon, 18th October 2016. Click here for more information.
The 2017 Dylan Thomas Prize is now open for entries
The International Dylan Thomas Prize is an annual award given by the Dylan Thomas Centre and Swansea University. The Award recognises and rewards literary talent in young authors. The prize will be awarded to the single author who has written the best literary work - a commercially published original volume of English language poetry, prose, fictional drama, collection of short fictional stories, or fictional novella. The main prize for the winner is £30,000. Each short-listed entrant will receive a runners-up award of £500. Entry is open to all authors of any nationality who are aged between 18 and 39. The closing date for entries is 4th November 2016. Click here for more information.
Review of museums in England
The government is undertaking a review of museums to explore the ways in which they can better increase participation from all members of society. The review will examine the ways in which museums can contribute to the health and wellbeing of local populations. The Government has made clear that free admission to museums will not be changed outside of the scope of the review. Comments, feedback and submissions are sought from people who use or work with museums, as well as from museums themselves. The deadline for submissions is 31st October 2016. Click here for more information.
Recruit! website launched by Unlock
Recruit! is a new website that supports UK employers to recruit people with convictions and helps them to deal with criminal records fairly. It's managed by Unlock as part of a charity-funded project. Unlock is a charity that works to achieve a fair and inclusive society where people with convictions can move on positively with their lives. The aim of the site is to increase the number of employers that develop, adopt and follow inclusive, fair and lawful policies and practices in the recruitment and retention of people with criminal records. The website supports employers in recruiting people with convictions, helps employers to deal with criminal records fairly, shares good practice, provides free guidance and tools, and shows what other employers are doing. Click here to visit the site.
Machinery of Government Change: Offender Learning
Policy responsibility for education and training provision for those subject to adult detention in England will transfer from the Department for Education to the Ministry of Justice from 1st October 2016. Click here for more information.
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts inquiry into the Transforming Rehabilitation programme
The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts inquiry into the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) programme's implementation has found that progress has been slow and the revolution promised has not been realised as yet. Voluntary sector organisations, deemed central to the programme at the outset, are not being engaged effectively. Clinks' statement in response to the Inquiry notes that the Committee found measures to reduce reoffending and transform services, including for those people serving shorter sentences, were not having the intended results. Services were found to be varied and there were challenges in determining good outcomes from issues relating to data and the protracted negotiations with the prime contractors. Click here to read the report.
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Resources & publications
Wales sets out quality principles for participatory work
A set of core principles aimed at helping arts professionals to reflect on the quality of their participatory work has been drawn up in Wales. The aim of the initiative is to create a way to talk about quality that can be used by everyone who is making participatory arts. Nine quality principles have emerged, grouped under three headings - intention, activity and people. They are designed to be guiding lights for practitioners and commissioners alike which can be applied across art forms and in a range of contexts. Click here to read more.
New narratives: changing the frame on crime and justice
One of the main obstacles to criminal justice reform is insufficient political will to enact necessary and effective changes. The public's lack of support and demand for new solutions reflects deeply rooted cultural attitudes and beliefs about crime, human behaviour, society and the Criminal Justice System. The Frame Works Institute has published a new report on how people working in the Criminal Justice System can reframe their language and they way they talk about criminal justice to better gain the public's support. Click here to read the article.
Story of the prison population: 1993 - 2016
The Ministry of Justice has published a report providing summarising changes in the prison population from 1993 to 2016. The report shows that, since 1993, the prison population has risen by 40,000 and that this is largely a result of longer custodial sentences being handed down by the courts. The offence makeup of the prison population has also changed, with the number of those having committed violence against the person, drug or sexual offences now making up three in five of the prison population, compared to two in five in 1993. Legislative changes have led to a rise in the number of recalls to prison, with the recall population growing from 150 in 1995, to 6000 in 2016. Click here to read more.
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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