The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice.
In this month's issue...
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
- Events and training
- Arts and criminal justice news
- Resources and publications
February highlights
Welcome to our February update. This past month the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance has been busy delivering our annual conference (many thanks to everyone that contributed to its success!). We attended the Artworks Alliance's latest Forum, which was a useful and inspiring snapshot of the latest developments in the field of participatory arts. We're now reflecting on what has been a transformative year of work in the West Midlands region, and are looking forward to developing new relationships in the North West in 2019-20. Read on to find out more of what we and our members have been up to.
Annual survey launched - win £50 vouchers
The annual survey is your chance to tell us about the important work you do with arts in criminal justice settings - and to let us know how you would like us to support this. As a thank you for taking part and helping us measure the sector and our impact, we are offering the chance for you to win £50 high street vouchers. The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 15th March. Take part here
Did you make it to our annual conference?
Yesterday, over 100 delegates joined us at The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham at our annual conference: Young people in the criminal justice system - how can the arts respond? We live-tweeted what was a packed day of workshops, performances and panel discussions, and have published a write-up that includes Justice Minister Edward Argar's video address, for all those who couldn't join us. Find out more here
Save the date for our 2019 annual meeting
12th June | FACT, Liverpool
Please put the afternoon of Wednesday 12th June in your diaries for the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance 2019 annual meeting. The event will be in Liverpool to launch a new publication to support arts organisations who want to work in criminal justice settings and begin our regional development work in the North West. The event will also be a chance for our members to look back over the year's achievements. Booking information to follow.
Our recommendations for Arts Council England
We welcome and support many of Arts Council England's (ACE) proposed outcomes for its next 10 year strategy, especially those which demonstrate a shift in emphasis towards equality and inclusion, and have made a number of recommendations to help ACE achieve its ambitious outcomes for 2030. Read our response here
Read our latest guest blogs
Find out how a creative prison-university partnership allowed women in Scotland to explore being authors of their own representation, and how a new drama group in a men's prison tackled a performance of Macbeth; in two guest blogs from Lindsay Morgan and Rowan MacKenzie. Read our latest blogs here
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
We will be sending our next newsletter on Thursday 28th March. Please email dora.dixon@clinks.org with any news, research, events, opportunities or blog proposals by Tuesday 19th March.
New play from Clean Break's young artists
7th - 8th March | London | £8
This new play from women's theatre company Clean Break explores youth loneliness in London. Devised by Brazen, the company's young artist programme, the play will be at Lyric Hammersmith's Evolution festival for two nights. Book here
Cellfies - a play set within a prison cell
12th - 16th March | London | Free
Following on from Debarred (Royal Court), Barred (HMP Manchester) and Cellfies (Gulbenkian), see the final piece in a four year theatre project. The play uses original stories from young people facing homelessness issues and prisoners. Book here
Distant Voices gig
16th March | London | Pay what you can
Hear songs from Vox Liminis' Distant Voices project in a lunchtime performance at Union Chapel. The project brings together some of Scotland's most acclaimed songwriters with people who have first-hand experience of the criminal justice system. Find out more here
Poetry and music at Unchained Nights
28th March | London | From £5
Poet Lady Unchained hosts another edition of Unchained Nights - an artistic platform for artists with lived experience of the criminal justice system to challenge the 'ex-offender' label through creativity. This event sold out last time so book soon if you would like to attend. Book here
Music in Prisons project performance at HMP Hollesley Bay
29th March | Suffolk | Free, RSVP essential
See live music created by men in prison in collaboration with The Irene Taylor Trust's Music in Prisons project. Anyone wanting to attend will need undertake the prison’s security checks, so an RSVP before 21st March is essential. Register here
Justice Secretary David Gauke sets out long-term vision for justice
Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, said there is “a very strong case to abolish sentences of six months or less altogether” in a recent speech at Reform think tank. He also supported a switch in resources from custody to probation in order to ensure a robust community order regime. The speech recognised the increasing length of sentences and suggested that technology could play a greater role in responses to serious crimes such as fraud in the future. Find out more here
Finding rhythms and making change
Earlier this month Finding Rhythms showcased its recent work inside and outside prisons. The music charity been running intensive 36-hour projects in prisons led by professional musicians for the past seven years, giving participants the chance to write, compose and record an album of original music; gaining qualifications and a more positive view of themselves in the process. Find out more here
Opportunity to hold an exhibition in London
Following last year's partnership with the Koestler Trust, Churches Together in Westminster is inviting proposals for an exhibition of creative work produced in criminal justice settings. It is looking for an organisation to exhibit for two to four weeks, and welcomes performance proposals. Register your interest by 15th March. Find out more here
Call for examples of arts and mental health projects
From 2020 onwards, the Baring Foundation will move its arts funding from arts and older people to arts and mental health as a theme, and will publish a scoping study in January to launch this. Central to writing this study will be identifying work by arts organisations that engage people with a mental health condition in creative activity. Anyone with references of relevant work should send these to david.cutler@uk.ing.com by 28th March.
Call for papers exploring recovery and the arts
Liverpool John Moores University is inviting proposals from researchers, practitioners, service providers and people in recovery to present at its Recovery and the arts conference in Liverpool on 3rd September 2019. Abstracts for both oral presentations and posters are welcomed. Apply by 31st March. Find out more and apply
New guide to evidencing arts and culture
The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) has shared its new publication, The Cultural Learning Evidence Champion’s Handbook. Designed to make it easier to 'do' evidence and evaluation, the handbook covers key skills and advice for people working in arts and cultural learning on how to make their work more evidence-rich. Find out more and read the report here
A toolkit for prison-university partnerships
The Prisoners' Education Trust and Prison University Partnerships in Learning (PUPiL) have published a toolkit to support the continued growth and development of partnerships between prisons and universities. It shares examples of successful models - including many that use creative arts - and is designed to help both educators and prison staff think about how to set up and deliver their own. Read the toolkit here (PDF)
What incentives work in prison?
The Prisoner Policy Network (PPN) has published its report, What incentives work in prison?, written following over 1,200 responses from prisoners to the question. The report shows that the existing Incentives and Earned Privileges system is held in low regard and the responses show a desire for a new scheme with a positive ethos rather than a punitive mentality. Read the report here (PDF)
Children in custody
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has published an analysis of children’s experiences in secure training centres (STCs) and young offender institutions (YOIs). It showed that over half of boys in YOIs identified as being from a black, Asian or other minority ethnic (BAME) background. Read the report here (PDF)
Apply for communications and coaching support
Transform Justice is offering pro-bono communications support to six organisations in the criminal justice voluntary sector. Successful organisations will benefit from one-to-one coaching from a strategic communications expert to understand the organisation’s communications approach and embed reframed messaging into its work. The deadline to apply is 15th March. Find out more here
This newsletter is written monthly by Dora Dixon. Email dora.dixon@clinks.org if you wish to submit any news.
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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.