The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice.
In this month's issue..
In this issue, our news section gives you a flavour of the NCJAA’s influencing work as well as our work amplifying the voice of members:
Last month we produced and sent an information sheet to the Heads of Education, Skills & Work in all prisons, to support their understanding of, and to articulate the need for, including arts in their prison education offer. We included examples of how arts and creativity contribute to the different elements of prison regime outcomes, a quote from a practitioner with direct experience of the impact of accessing an arts programme whilst in prison, statistics from the Inspiring Futures report findings, and a section on providing access to creative industries, to align with the Government’s UK Modern Industrial Strategy. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with key decision makers as we push for the arts to be embedded in criminal justice via a variety of routes.
We also provided an opportunity for members to contribute to the Sentencing Review: Older People roundtable; facilitated members using trauma informed approaches to share their work with Arts Council England; and collated information from members on their training provision to criminal justice staff – another hidden area where art organisations contribute so much more than programmes to the criminal justice system. We also get contacted by individuals coming out of prison or on probation, and students looking to develop their creative careers, and recently signposted a person with lived experience to a member organisation, to develop their podcasting aspirations.
We continue our partnership with the Royal Literary Fund through hosting their online workshops, most recently hosting a well-attended session on writing case studies. We will host more of these workshops between now and March next year, so checkout the Clinks events page in the coming weeks.
Clinks News: Introducing New Staff
The work of NCJAA sits within Clinks National Influencing and Networks directorate and the team that covers that work has recently been joined by:
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Diane Curry, Families Network Coordinator - find out more about her work at Clinks and the Families Network here. |
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Elizaveta (Lisa) Strelnikova, Specialist Policy Officer - Amongst many pieces of work she is doing at Clinks (including her response to the Independent Review of Prison Capacity later in this newsletter), Lisa compiles the monthly policy briefing which you can access here. |
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Leanne Jeffery, Health and Justice Development Officer – Amongst her recent work, is a blog on the omission of justice in the 10-Year Health Plan which you can access here. |
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Molly Zoglowek, Freelance Communications Consultant - Molly has just started with Clinks this month: "10 years on from my release, I now work as a self-employed Communications and Lived Experience Consultant, using my experience to support organisations that work with people impacted by the justice system." |
Criminal Justice News: Immediate deportation planned for Foreign National Offenders
The Government plans to introduce powers for the immediate deportation of some Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) after sentencing, extending current rules that allow removal after serving 30% of a sentence. Since July 2024, 5,200 FNOs have been deported – a 14% rise – supported by £5m for specialist prison staff. The new powers will apply to current and future people in prison, with exceptions for ‘serious offenders.’ Legislation will be brought to Parliament in due course. Read the press release here.
Criminal Justice News: Ministry of Justice virtual market engagement event
The MoJ is pleased to invite Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to attend a virtual market engagement event on 8 September, 14:00, online, free for the "Better Rehabilitation Outcomes Through Enabling the Voluntary Sector" Grant Scheme. The grant scheme is a £3 million initiative running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. The MoJ encourages all interested VCSE organisations to attend and help shape the future of rehabilitative services. Organisations must register for the event via the Jaggaer e-sourcing portal. Once logged in, search ‘PQQ_519 - Market Engagement Event: Rehabilitation Grants Scheme 2026-2029'
To receive a Teams invitation, please send a message via the Jaggaer portal before 16:00, 4 September.
Criminal Justice News: Response to Independent Review of Prison Capacity
Clinks has published a blog in response to the Independent Review of Prison Capacity, which reveals a deepening crisis in the UK prison system, driven by rising demand for prison places, longer sentences, and inadequate resettlement planning, overwhelming both prisons and the probation service. The report calls for a long-term, community-based strategy focused on tackling the root causes of crime, with greater investment in the voluntary sector and the further development of proven models, such as those implemented in the youth justice estate, and gender-specific interventions. Elizaveta Strelnikova, Clinks' Specialist Policy Officer, highlights key points and challenges within the report and critically evaluates the Review's analysis and recommendations to determine the necessary next steps to solve the prison capacity crisis. Read the blog here.
NCJAA Members News: The Secret Life of Prisons podcast
Prison Radio Association: The Secret Life of Prisons podcast is a great listen; it has finished for the summer and therefore is a good time to catch up. Listen here.
NCJAA Members News: The Power of Music for Young People
Silkfutures is a Welsh music project dedicated to supporting young people aged 12-25 from disadvantaged backgrounds, global majority communities, and underrepresented groups. Their work focuses on those at risk of violent crime, involved in the legal justice system, or facing significant social and economic barriers. Using the power of music and creative events, the team has attained funding for over 412 workshops, delivered by talented facilitators, helping nearly 300 young people. Feel inspired, have a look and see the power of their work. For more information, visit Silkfutures - Youth Music Organisation
NCJAA Members News: London School of Muralism (LSOM) project at HMP Downview
Through their ongoing collaboration with prison arts charity Clean Break, LSOM were introduced to HMP Downview as a potential project location early in the year. They were offered a wall in one of the most intense areas of the prison, the segregation unit, which borders the outdoor exercise area, for women who have been isolated away from the rest of the prison. Read more here.
NCJAA Members News: Punishment Acts Reflection
This report by Molly de Dois Fisher is a qualitative evaluation of Punishment Acts, a co-created participatory theatre project with people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage including prison. The project was part of Dr Sarah Bartley AHRC funded Staging Justice research programme, which explored 25 years of Rideout’s work within and about prison. In Punishment Acts, Rideout and Expert Citizens worked together to devise a play through a series of drama workshops which used Foucault's Discipline and Punish as source material. The play was performed by a mixed cast of professional and non-professional actors and asked audiences to reflect on their beliefs about punishment and consider whether there are other ways to achieve 'justice'. The report considers key findings around relationships, atmosphere, ownership, autobiography, roles, site, time, impacts of performance. Read the report here.
NCJAA Members News: What do we mean by co-curated?
Penned Up Festival uses a co-curation approach with people in prison, they have written a blog on what that looks like and the outcomes. Read the blog here.
NCJAA Members News: Festival of Quilts
Fine Cell Work were very excited to participate in this year’s Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.
The festival gave them the opportunity to bring some of our iconic quilts together under one roof, including The Sleep Quilt (images below), commissioned by Fine Cell Work Patron and writer, Tracy Chevalier. Designed and hand-stitched by 70 makers across 8 prisons, each individual square tells a unique personal story, which, when quilted together, creates an incredibly powerful collective narrative, expressing the stitchers’ feelings on sleep.
They also showcased our ever-popular Cell Quilt (above) - a hand-stitched life-size aerial view of a two-person prison cell. It’s a profoundly moving artwork, which is full of hidden meaning.
The festival also saw the unveiling of The British Wildflowers Quilt. Stitched across multiple prisons and by stitchers on our post-release programme, this breathtakingly beautiful large-scale piece of art is the work of many hands.
NCJAA Members News: Pilot for the Youth Justice System of England & Wales
Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All), in partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and endorsed by the Youth Justice Board, is proud to announce a groundbreaking national project to develop a consistent Shared Practice Model for restorative justice across England and Wales. Currently, restorative justice delivery in Youth Justice Services (YJS) varies widely, with little consistent evidence on what works and why. This project, coordinated by Professor Gavrielides, will change that. Together with selected YJS teams, a Project Steering Group, an independent Practitioners Board, and independent evaluators, they will co-design a model that defines the core components of restorative justice delivery – ensuring it is victim-centred, high-quality, and consistently applied. As part of this initiative, participating YJS teams will receive tailored training and practical guidance aligned with the new Victims’ Standard, as set by HM Inspectorate for Probation. This will ensure restorative justice is not only understood and accessible, but also compliant with updated mandates. Find more information here.
NCJAA Members News: Exhibition artworks available to view and buy
This year's National Open Exhibition explores the theme of 'Shelter'. It is a powerful and timely subject that can represent many ideas, including safety, protection, home and community. We are delighted that many of the artworks are now available to buy through our new online shop. The exhibition brings together over 81 talented artists working in a wide range of mediums, including sculpture, painting, ceramics, textiles and works on paper. For any enquiries, please contact Millie Seal, Sales Manager, at: millie.seal@outsidein.org.uk.
NCJAA Members News: GLAM (University of Oxford Gardens Libraries and Museums) – Engagement with the criminal justice sector
GLAM Community Engagement works to provide cultural engagement opportunities for people facing social inequalities. This report by Oxford University looks at their work in the criminal justice sector during March 2023 - June 2025, which includes HMP Bullingdon, HMP Grendon and HMP Spring Hill.
Exhibition - Tarot: Wisdom, Power & Identity
1 September-30 November | HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, M15 4FN
Created by Novus learners across four UK Woman’s Prisons, this exhibition reimagines the Tarot as a powerful tool for self-discovery, transformation, and storytelling. Each artwork reflects personal journeys of strength and hope, inspired by - or reinventing - the iconic imagery of the Tarot.
Exhibition of Hope – Spotlight Event
15 October | 14:00 | Victoria Mill, University of Lancashire - Burnley Campus -Trafalgar Street Burnley BB11 1RA
Hosted by the University of Lancashire’s Criminology department in partnership with Novus, this event celebrates artworks created by men and women from 12 prisons across the Northwest. Featuring a multi-media exhibition and inspiring guest speakers, it explores how art can spark hope, connection, and transformation. Find out more here.
Exhibition - 30 Objects Reflecting Justice
National Justice Museum | High Pavement, Nottingham NG1 1HN
A new free exhibition, is opening at the National Justice Museum. The free exhibition includes never before seen objects from the museum’s collection of crime and punishment. Find out more at www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk.
Geese Theatre Company: The Other Side of the Wall
3-5 September | Birmingham
The Other Side of the Wall is a three-day training course focusing on some of the basic principles behind Geese’s use of theatre and drama with people in secure and community settings, offering participants effective and widely applicable techniques in a safe environment where relevant experiential learning can take place. Limited to a maximum of 10 spaces (some bursary places available for people with lived experience of the CJS) and suitable for anyone interested in developing creative approaches to working in Criminal Justice Settings.
"The best training course I have accessed for a long time. Brilliant!"
Clean Break Rewriting Justice Training
18 September | 10:00-16:30 | London | £75 - £120
A one-day training course for theatre-artists, playwrights, facilitators and criminal justice professionals interested in delivering playwriting workshops with women in criminal justice and community settings. Drawing on over 40 years of experience, Clean Break will share its approach to using playwriting as a powerful tool for personal expression, confidence and transformation. Participants will explore creative exercises, best practice for working with vulnerable adults, and insights from working in prisons and women’s centres. The course is facilitated by Artistic Director Anna Herrmann and Associate Artistic Director Lakesha Arie-Angelo. Find out more and book your place.
Theatre: Lifers
1-25 October| Southwark Playhouse (Borough) | £10-22
Inside the walls of HMP Drummond, Baxter, Norton and Lenny pass the time with poker, banter, and the kind of gallows humour only lifers can muster. When Lenny’s body starts to give out, young prison officer Mark keeps an eye on him. What begins as a duty of care becomes an unexpected friendship, exposing the cracks in a system built to punish, not to support. Darkly funny and unflinchingly honest, Lifers challenges what we think we know about crime, punishment, and redemption. Do some crimes make a second chance impossible? And when the world moves on without you, what does justice really mean? A compelling look at ageing, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. By Synergy Theatre Company, more info and booking here.
Small Things Creative Projects
Over the coming months Small Things Creative Projects are convening a number of different spaces around regenerative culture and arts practices, the structures that support those practices, and permaculture design. They all draw from the body of work and community of practice that we have been developing over the last five years.
- Creative Roots Ongoing – An online forum for artists, creatives and cultural workers that meets quarterly to explore ideas around arts, imagination, creativity and Permaculture, and the way that these things can be used to develop regenerative cultures. The group is free to access and open to all.
- The Gathering – A Full Online Permaculture Design Course for Artists and Creatives Online – Starts September 2025 - A learning journey and community of practice for artists and creatives, and those who support them, who want to slow down and explore how we can live well, now. This unique 72-hour course takes the classic Permaculture Design Course as a starting point, creating a learning community who will learn and deepen their permaculture design skills so that they can bring a truly regenerative focus to their work.
- The Meeting Point – An Introduction to Permaculture for Artists and Creatives Online – October 2025 - A course designed specifically with artists and creatives in mind, and the people and organisations that support them. It introduces the basic concepts of Permaculture and explores how these ideas can be used to deepen creative practice and to bring a new ethical basis to projects, particularly in relation to ecology, natural systems and regenerative cultures.
If you are interested in this work, but now isn't the right time for you can join their email list? Sign up here.
Geo Britto Masterclass
3 November | Manchester
Clinks event: Criminal Justice Forums & Training: Women's Network Forum
9 September | 10:00-12:00 | online | free
Influencing policy and creating change for women in the criminal justice system. Our quarterly women’s networking forums, hosted in partnership with the Agenda Alliance, provide support, information and networking opportunities to those working with women in contact with the criminal justice system. They include updates on policy, member activity and host speakers on relevant topics. Register here.
Clinks event: Working and volunteering in prisons
11 September | 10:00-13:00 | online | from £95
Do you have volunteers or staff members who want to increase their understanding of the prison system? Join us at this three-hour training session for voluntary sector staff and volunteers in which we aim to raise awareness of the prison environment and provide information on key aspects such as staffing structures and departments, prison procedures and current challenges associated with working in prisons. Register here.
Clinks event: Whole Systems Approach for women
14:00 - 16:00, 17 September | online | free
The Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) has established a 2025-26 Special Interest Group (SIG) on a ‘Whole Systems Approach’ for women in contact with the criminal justice system. This group will gather evidence; exploring the benefits of co-commissioning; highlight areas of best practice; and present identified challenges. Find out more and register here.
FUNDING: The Drapers' Charitable Fund
The Drapers’ Charitable Fund provide grants to improve the quality of life and aspirations of people and communities, particularly those who are socially excluded or disadvantaged. They give most of their grants to charities in Greater London for projects in education and social welfare, a key area of focus is the support of people in prison. Their committee meets five times a year and applications will normally be considered at the next meeting [30 September] following submission, provided they are received at least four weeks prior to the date of the meeting. This is dependent on the number of applications received, consideration at a particular meeting cannot be guaranteed. There is no minimum or maximum grant, grants are normally [up to £25,000] but larger grants may be awarded. Find more and apply here.
FUNDING: The Society Foundation
The Society Foundation is an independent grant giving trust who provide financial support for organisations that help disadvantaged people move towards paid work. They are prioritising support to those who are recently homeless or vulnerably housed, people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, and 16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training. They offer grants of [up to £2,500] to small or growing organisations with a turnover of up to £500,000. They provide funding for capacity building activities, including IT infrastructure and equipment, staff training and development, and external consultancy. Their summer funding round is now open for applications [until 12 September]. Find more and apply here.
RESOURCE: International Journal for Creativity Inside (IJCI)
The Florida State University Institute for Arts & Art Therapy with the Imprisoned (AATI) and Creative Prisons Project in Chicago have introduced a new, free, open source, nonprofit International Journal for Creativity Inside (IJCI). The mission of the journal is to highlight, support, and expand the value of creativity within carceral systems to people in prison and to society worldwide. Find more info here.
VACANCY: Apprentices | Fine Cell Work | London
Fine Cell Work are Recruiting now! Are you a prison leaver seeking new skills, work experience and support with employment? To find out more about their Open the Gate programme, contact info@finecellwork.co.uk or visit www.finecellwork.co.uk.
VACANCY: Engagement and Support Officer | Fine Cell Work | London
Fine Cell Work are now looking for an ambitious and dynamic Engagement and Support Officer (ESO) to join our team. The successful candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by people in contact with the criminal justice system and will work proactively to establish meaningful and sustainable cross-referral pathways with external agencies. They will nurture a professional, inclusive, and safe working environment; use their knowledge, insights, and expertise to support tangible outcomes for all Open The Gate participants; and develop the wider programme offer in line with our organisational objectives. Deadline 7 September. Find more info here.
VACANCY: Trustees | Hear Me Out
- 2 September | 17:00 – Introductory Zoom call for anyone interested in learning more. To register, email shakhana@hearmeoutmusic.org.uk
- 15 September | 11:00 – Application deadline.
Want to post a vacancy?
Clinks members can post job and volunteer vacancies on our Jobs Board for free.
Full instructions for uploading a vacancy can be found here. For assistance, email membership@clinks.org
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
The next NCJAA newsletter will be sent on 31 October. If you have any news, opportunities or events relating to art organisations or projects within the criminal justice system that you would like included, please submit your information via our online form by Monday 20 October.
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This newsletter is bi-monthly. Email artsalliance@clinks.org if you wish to submit any news.
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