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
June highlights
Welcome to the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance's June newsletter. It has been a very busy and hugely exciting time for us. We kicked off the month in Liverpool to launch two new publications - an annual review and a guide for working in criminal justice settings. We were joined by high-profile supporters at a breakfast briefing that urged arts, media and cultural organisations to take positive action to recruit people with criminal records, and have published the briefing from the event. Earlier this week, we were delighted to see Arts Council England's latest draft 10-year strategy recognise the criminal justice sector. Read on to find out more about these publications and for further arts, culture and criminal justice news, events and resources.
New guide for working in criminal justice
Our guide, Enhancing arts and culture in the criminal justice system: A partnership approach, is now available to download. The publication outlines the complex nature of the criminal justice system and the value of arts and culture in these settings. It includes step-by-step guidance and principles of best practice - putting individuals with complex needs at the heart of effective interventions, encouraging partnership work and ensuring artistic quality. We hope the guide will foster new relationships, inspire new programmes and encourage artists, arts organisations and cultural institutions to make brave, new, quality work in criminal justice settings. Read the guide here
A review of 2018-2019
We have published A stronger alliance, our annual review 2018-2019. With continued to have high-level governmental support, we have improved our regional, training and inclusion offer, grown our network and influence, and seen an increasing understanding from audiences of the value of arts and culture in criminal justice. Thank you for responding to our online annual survey, which has contributed to the review. It celebrates the collective achievements of our network and shows the development of a stronger, braver alliance. We look forward to working with you all in 2019-2020. Read the review here
Don't let a tick box stop you harnessing talent
We're asking arts, media and cultural organisations to review their recruitment approaches and take positive action to develop opportunities for people with experience of the criminal justice system. Robert Buckland QC MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, and Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, addressed delegates during a breakfast briefing at Universal Music UK, urging high-profile organisations to consider positive action to improve diversity, inclusion and skills gaps. A new resource, developed with the support of Unlock, was launched at the event to further support organisations to Ban the Box and adopt fairer recruitment practices. Read the briefing here
Arts Council England's latest draft strategy
Arts Council England has published its final draft 10 year strategy document, setting out its vision and outcomes it wants to see along with new guiding principles for investment in arts and culture. We are delighted that it places outcomes for people and communities centre stage and embraces the impact of creativity on wellbeing. We are particularly pleased that it sees the criminal justice system as a key partner in achieving its ambitious goals. We hope to work with them further to explore how these partnerships can be built on effectively to achieve maximum impact. Thank you to everyone in the network who has engaged with the process, please continue to engage with the final stage of the consultation, open from 1st July to 23rd September. Find out more here
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
We will be sending our next newsletter on Thursday 25th July. Please email dora.dixon@clinks.org with any news, research, events, opportunities or blog proposals by Tuesday 16th July.
Criminal justice forum
4th July | Manchester | free for Clinks members
National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance's (NCJAA) Development Officer Rebbecca Hemmings will be delivering a short presentation on the NCJAA at Clinks’ 'Criminal justice forum'. This event gives you the opportunity to keep up to speed on new developments in the criminal justice system. It will allow you to step back from your crucial day-to-day work to see the bigger picture and context in which you are working. Find out more and book here
Performance and networking event
4th July | HMP Lindholme | free
Imagine If invites businesses and recruitment agencies with inclusive recruitment policies, support services and organisations who wish to engage people with convictions in the arts to attend its next Performance and networking event at HMP Lindholme. The event runs from 9 - 11:45am and includes a performance created and presented by a group who are due for release, created with Imagine If during Bird on the Wing, an intensive theatre and employability intervention. Booking by 2nd July is essential. To book or find out more, contact: tamsin@imagineiftheatre.co.uk
Future of probation services
July and August | Various | free
Following its announcement to reunify probation services under the National Probation Service, the Ministry of Justice is undertaking further market engagement on the future of the probation services in England and Wales. It would like to invite interested supplier organisations to discuss the commercial design of the Dynamic Framework for Rehabilitative Interventions and Resettlement Services. There is a series of market engagement events and webinars taking place nationally. Find out more and book here
Theatre of testimony play
9th - 10th October | Birmingham | from £10
Geese Theatre Company and Helena Enright present 'Playing The Game', a theatre of testimony play created as part of a Wellcome Trust-funded research project with the University of Warwick. It uses material from a series of drama workshops and interviews conducted with residents and staff at HMP Peterborough alongside archival materials and testimonies from the past. Find out more and book here
New designs for cell furniture
Final year students from Central Saint Martins’ product design course are developing experimental prison cell furniture designs. The designs aim to generate a range of cell furniture that is not only robust and sustainable, but also helps to create a decent environment for prisoners and prison staff. The Cell Furniture project comes from the Design Against Crime Research Centre (DACRC) at Central Saint Martins, and is part of an 18-month design research project which started last summer in collaboration with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), with funding from its Innovation Grant. Find out more here
Art critic visits prison
Art critic Jonathan Jones has visited HMP Send to see Artemisia Gentileschi's £3.6m painting of Catherine of Alexandra, which was loaned to the women's prison by the National Gallery. Through an artist-led workshop, the women learned about the trauma of both the painter and the subject. Writing for the Guardian, Jones said of the women's responses to the work, "It’s a strikingly personal interpretation and gives rise to a powerful connection that spans centuries: like Gentileschi, they see something of their own lives mirrored in what Catherine went through." Find out more here
Centre for Cultural Value
The University of Leeds will be heading up the UK's first Centre for Cultural Value, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts Council England. Establishing a centre dedicated to cultural value was one of the recommendations of the AHRC’s Cultural Value Project, which examined issues around why arts and culture matter. The centre will be open from 1st October 2019, and aims to bring together academic and non-academic researchers, artists, arts and cultural organisations, audiences, policymakers and local communities. Find out more here
Interactive digital art
The artist Sally Sheinman has shared the results of her Arts Council England-funded Justice Ideas residency. In collaboration with the National Museum of Justice and HMP Nottingham, Sheinman has been asking men from the prison, "what makes you, you?" and uses digital technology capture their responses. The resulting portraits are being posted online every Sunday. See the portraits here
Small grants for Birmingham charities
The Roughley Trust welcomes grant applications from Birmingham-registered local charities with an annual turnover of less than £1M. Areas the Trust supports include arts and prison work. Applications are accepted from 1st July - 1st October each year for existing work or new projects. Trustees tend to give priority to smaller or medium-size organisations. Find out more and apply here
The future of probation
Clinks has published a briefing to summarise the key points from the government’s response to both the Strengthening probation, building confidence consultation and the recently published The Proposed Future Model for Probation: A Draft Operating Blueprint. From spring 2021, all offender management will become the responsibility of the National Probation Service. The briefing looks at the Ministry of Justice’s decision to reunify offender management, the timescales, the priorities, future structure, who will be delivering services, procurement, funding and equalities. Find out more here
Unlocking potential: three years on
The Prisoner Learning Alliance (PLA) has published a briefing on the implementation of the main recommendations from the 2016 Coates review of education in prison. The briefing found that overall fair progress has been made in many areas identified by the review but there is slow progress in recruiting high quality teachers and limited training available to governors and senior leaders on capability and commissioning. The PLA will continue to monitor progress and plans a further update in May 2020. Read the briefing here (PDF)
The case for funding charities in the prison system
NPC has published Independent, Effective, Humane, a report, produced in partnership with Clinks, which makes the case for funding charities in the prison system. It argues that charities continue to have an impact, despite working in a prison system which is in crisis. Their work both in prisons and to influence change is hugely important to individuals and society and is only possible because of their independence from the system itself. Find out more here
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This newsletter is written monthly by Dora Dixon. Email dora.dixon@clinks.org if you wish to submit any news.
Clinks manages the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) and is the legally accountable body for all official NCJAA activity.
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