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Scottish Prison Service
Arts Review
April 2015
“It opens doors for you as well, because a lot of people in here didn’t
like school, or they didn’t go, or they didn’t feel any good…because
they had dyslexia and it wasn’t recognised. They come in here, they’re
thinking about education but they don’t want to do it, because they
feel daft, they feel like people will take the mick because they canny
get it right or something. They come down and do a bit of the arts,
and it seems to open doors for them; it gives them a chance to look at
things and watch what’s happening in other classes…and they start to
get more curious. Before they know it they’ve went from the window
to the door, and then they’re in a class. Without that process in the
arts, they wouldn’t have done that in the first place. They wouldn’t
have had the opportunity to push themselves in”
– Prisoner, HMP Perth
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Contents
1.1 Purpose of the review
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1.2 Methodology
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2.1 Context
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2.2 SPS Organisational Review – Unlocking Potential Transforming Lives
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2.3 What matters to SPS
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2.4 Purposeful Activity Review
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2.5 Nine Offender Outcomes
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3. Benefits of the arts for offenders
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4. How the arts can support systemic change
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5.1 Current provision
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5.2 Creating space
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6. The arts in prisons: understanding tensions
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7.1 Practical Provision: issues and solutions
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7.2 Recommendations
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8. Registered third sector agencies delivering arts in prisons
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9. Prisoner consultation
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10. Acknowledgements
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1.1 Purpose of the Review
The Arts Review takes place in the context of wider organisational change within the SPS. It results from
the findings of the Organisational Review Unlocking Potential, Transforming Lives, and the related
Purposeful Activity Review.
Throughout the SPS, staff acknowledge the role of ‘informal learning’ and the positive impact of creative
opportunities for people who have often had a negative experience of formal learning environments.
These opportunities are often provided by external organisations, and many SPS staff are invested in
supporting these agencies. At the same time, there is recognition that improvements in partnership
working mechanisms, availability of resources and co-ordination of arts services alongside SPS
programmes would increase the positive impact of this additional investment. In order for this to
happen, a more widespread understanding of the benefits of the arts for offenders is necessary.
The Arts Review aims to:
- Place the arts in the context of SPS’ organisational priorities, demonstrating the effectiveness of arts
provision in terms of desistance, uptake of formal learning opportunities and personal development
- Explore the benefits of the arts for this client group, creating wider support for the arts in prison
- Contextualise these benefits, and identify challenges for provision, through a literature review
- Reflect the experiences of prisoners in terms of accessing arts services and the impact of these
services on their lives
- Make recommendations for improvements in the co-ordination of arts services in prisons
- Consolidate the arts as part of SPS’ strategic response to learning and personal development needs
This report should be read in conjunction with a series of supporting documents, which provide further
detail on specific benefits of the arts and arts practice in prisons.
1.2 Methodology
A review of provision was undertaken in February 2015, and included:
Third Sector Registration: third sector agencies currently providing arts services in prisons were
asked to ‘register’ with the project. We contacted these agencies via the Scottish Prisons Arts
Network (SPAN), the Association of Chief Executive Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations, and
by taking out an advert in Creative Scotland’s Opportunities Portal and Third Force News (SCVO)
Third Sector semi-structured telephone interviews, exploring the types of provision, issues and
recommendations
Heads of Offender Outcomes: paper-based review of i) arts provision in February 2015 and ii) where
arts activities take place in the prison, including how we could use physical assets more effectively to
extend arts provision to different parts of the prison
Learning Centre Managers: semi-structured telephone interview, exploring types of provision, issues
and recommendations
Consultation with Prisoners: a consultation with ten arts service users in HMP Perth
Key themes from this process are included throughout this report, alongside pertinent information from a
review of the literature.
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2.1 Context
2.2 Scottish Prison Service Organisational Review: Unlocking Potential,
Transforming Lives
The review of arts activities in Scottish prisons takes place in the context of a major organisational review
which will, over time, introduce significant change to the way that offenders’ needs are defined and met by
service provision. The mission of the organisation is to provide services that help to transform the lives of
people in our care so they can fulfil their potential and become responsible citizens1.
Within this, the values of the organisation have been revised to recognise the ‘human needs’ of the
population, alongside SPS’ important task of providing Custody, Order, Care and Opportunity for people with
some of the most complex needs in society.
Values
Belief – we believe that people can change
Respect – we have proper regard for individuals, their needs and their human rights
Integrity – we apply highly ethical, moral and professional standards
Openness – we work with others to achieve the best outcomes
Courage – we have the courage to care regardless of circumstances
Humility – we cannot do this on our own, we recognise we can learn from others
This framework is, in many ways, much more closely aligned to the values that drive arts organisations,
creating a new synergy in the approach to working with prisoners. Working to these values will enable arts
organisations to excel in custodial settings, both in terms of meeting individuals’ needs (particularly where
those needs relate to ‘soft outcomes’), and in terms of closer collaborative working relationships between
SPS staff, external arts agencies and formal education provision.
1 Scottish Prison Service (2013), Unlocking Potential Transforming Lives: Report of the Scottish Prison Service
Organisational Review, p .5
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2.3 What Matters to SPS?
For detailed information, please see accompanying document:
SPS Arts Review: What Matters to SPS? This document outlines in detail the relevance of the arts in context of SPS’ Organisational Review Unlocking Potential Transforming Lives, and within the Purposeful Activity Review. It explores the arts in relation to the Nine Offender Outcomes and the Curriculum for Excellence. It outlines the needs identified amongst the prison population and how the arts relate to these needs. It is recommended for people who need to create a business case for arts provision, or evidence how the arts can be used to support transformational change within the organisation.
SPS is implementing widespread change across the service, through the Organisation Review Unlocking
Potential Transforming Lives, and the related Purposeful Activity Review.
The key areas for organisational development, which can be supported by the use of the arts in prison, are
as follows:
Human Outcomes
Desistance
To nurture human health and wellbeing
Recognising the role of ‘informal’ activity in improving outcomes
Motivational activity
Organisational Outcomes
Recognising the role of the third sector
Asset-based service design
Evidence-based services
Co-design
Embedding arts-based learning
Community-facing Outcomes
Building bridges between prison and community: changing public attitudes to offenders
These areas of development, and evidence of how improved and co-ordinated arts provision can support
change, are outlined in detail in the supporting document SPS Arts Review: What Matters to SPS?
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2.4 Purposeful Activity Review
The Purposeful Activity Review highlights the value of the arts in relation to holistic services and embedded
learning opportunities.
A new ‘holistic approach to Purposeful Activities’ lists the following priorities.
- Wellbeing - Contact with family - Hobbies and personal
interests - Creative arts - Spiritual activities - Activities that provide
opportunity for social interaction and give someone a reason to get out of bed in the morning
- Citizenship - Peer support - Equality and diversity
- Life skills and Resilience - Practical life skills - Communication needs - Services to improve
mental health - Assertiveness and self-
esteem
- Offending Behaviour - Accredited programmes
and approved activities - Motivational work
- Learning and Employability - Education - Literacy and numeracy - Embedded learning
opportunities
Embedding Arts-based Learning
Ultimately, SPS recognises the need for learning services to be focused around prisoners’ interests, in order
to reach the hardest to reach. This includes embedding core skills (literacy, numeracy) within wider
provision, including arts provision, and working on themed learning across a range of subject areas.
There is a strong argument for embedding all arts provision within a wider learning context to create an
active learning environment in which practical exploration, experimentation and collaborative working is
encouraged. For participants in a prison context this can often be a radical shift in their relationship to
‘learning’ as negative past experiences of formal education have left them with a feeling of ‘failure’, with no
belief in their wider ability2.
2 Creative Scotland (2015): Guide for Artists Working in Prisons, p.4
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2.5 The Nine Offender Outcomes
The nine offender outcomes are a framework for criminal justice services which outlines offenders’ needs
and the key areas of service delivery. Research to date suggests that the outcomes most likely to be
addressed by an arts intervention are:
1. Sustained or improved physical and mental wellbeing
3. Improved literacy skills
4. Employability prospects increased
9. Improvements in the attitudes or behaviour which lead to offending and greater acceptance of
responsibility in managing their own behaviour and understanding of the impact of their offending on
victims and on their own families3
3 Universities of Glasgow / Strathclyde / Edinburgh (2011): Inspiring Change: Final Project Report of the Evaluation
Team, p.5
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3. The Benefits of the Arts for Offenders
For detailed information, please see accompanying document:
SPS Arts Review: The Benefits of the Arts for Offenders in Detail This document gives a detailed account of the research background for improvements in the areas listed below. It is for use by arts agencies planning programmes, senior SPS staff making decisions on the content of programmes, and SPS support staff, to give a better idea of the uses of the arts in a custodial environment. It also touches on some of the limitations of the arts in a secure setting.
According to the literature, the arts has a significant impact on the following areas:
Desistance from crime (in particular, secondary desistance), through:
- Attitudinal change
- Increase in self-efficacy and agency
‘Soft’ outcomes, through:
- Improved mental wellbeing
- Increased self-esteem and self confidence
Learning and attitude to opportunities:
- A “love of learning”, through experiencing achievement, often for the first time
- Increased motivation, dedication and determination
Core skills:
- Improved literacy and numeracy
- Skills relevant to employability
- Engagement with formal education programmes
People-related skills:
- Identity, self-perception and self-belief
- Relating to the world: reflection and empathy
- Family relationships
- Social skills
- Team work and leadership skills
- Integration
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4. How the Arts Support Systemic Change
The arts have wider positive potential for the prison system, in addition to the benefits for individuals. A
regime that embraces both formal and informal arts practice will benefit staff, management and the wider
community in the longer term. These benefits include:
Building an active learning culture Motivating offenders to improve their skills
Improved Environment Individuals serving long sentences often express that they are
grateful to have art work to personalise their cell. Prisoners, staff
and visitors benefit from art works being displayed around the
prison, creating the atmosphere of a ‘positive learning environment’
Improved Relationships Research from North America, New Zealand and the UK shows that
arts participation can encourage the development of better
relationships between prisoners and with prison staff
Improved Behaviour Arts practice has been shown to impact on how people manage
themselves during their sentence. Participants and staff report
immediate outcomes related to reduction in aggression and
compliance with the regime, including a willingness to engage with
other provision
Reaching the Hardest to Reach The arts allow people to learn in a way that best suits them, leading
to increased uptake of opportunities and will, over time, increase
the uptake of purposeful activity within the prison
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5.1 Current Provision
Prisons
What is happening currently in prisons?
13 prisons reported 110 arts projects currently taking place, of which
- 24 are run by independent arts agencies and 9 are run by museums, libraries and universities
- 30 are run by SPS or private prisons, of which 4 are led by the chaplaincy
- 46 are run by contracted education providers
- Of which, only 2 are described as being ‘delivered in partnership’
Regularity and continuity of services
- Of the 110 arts programmes delivered, 42 programmes were deemed to be ‘one off’ provision, such
as a talk from a visiting specialist, or a single craft workshop
- Of the 42 ‘one off’ programmes, 23 were time-limited, topic-specific learning opportunities which
took place once a year
Number of hours of arts-based learning
Prisons found it difficult to report on the number of hours that these projects were delivered over. In places,
staff completing the reports left this information blank. Elsewhere, it seems that figures were over reported
(with one prison claiming it delivers 3830 hours of arts activity per month).
Average arts activity hours delivered monthly (with the exclusion of the prison that over-reported) is around
80 hours per month across the 12 prisons which provided accurate figures. However, two prisons claim that
they currently provide no arts activities (this is unlikely, given the opportunities offered through the
education contract), and elsewhere the provision is reported as low as 12 hours per month. HMPs Addiewell
(236 hrs), Kilmarnock (228 hrs), Edinburgh (121 hrs) and Perth (128 hrs) seem to be able to provide far more
than HMPs Polmont, Shotts and Cornton Vale.
This demonstrates a real contradiction between reported creative activity hours, and evidence ‘on the
ground’. For example, HMP YOI Polmont is currently investing a huge amount of time in developing a
performing arts space, and has previously delivered a range of arts activities in partnership with Barnardos,
amongst others. These are not reported as part of the ‘snapshot’ of activity, as they may not have been
running at the time of reporting.
Elsewhere, for example at Shotts, no provision is listed. However, there is no doubt that many hours of
activity take place in order to create the STIR Magazine, in addition to the hours of activity provided under
the learning contract.
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Private prisons were particularly strong at reporting the number of hours of arts activity per month
(Addiewell = 236 hrs per month, Kilmarnock = 228 hrs per month), which is no doubt due to the nature of
their contract with SPS.
Understanding difficulties with reporting
The reported figures indicate some difficulties with the accessibility of information about arts provision, and
some confusion about ‘what counts’. Whilst some prisons reported contracted education services which
relate to the arts as ‘arts provision’, other prisons did not deem this to be reportable.
The data-gathering exercise was sent to Heads of Offender Outcomes to complete. However, in the majority
of prisons, the forms were forwarded on to the Education Manager, who was asked to complete them on
behalf of Offender Outcomes. It is interesting to see the delegation from HOO to Education Manager, which
indicates that the arts are (usually) considered to sit ‘within education’, with responsibility falling to the
Education Manager.
Range of provision
We used the Scottish Household Survey 2012, p.138: Participation in Cultural Activities / Creative Scotland
Research Summary: Cultural Engagement, p.24 to outline a recognised ‘range’ of arts activity. This fall into
fourteen specific ‘genres’:
Book festivals and reading groups
Carnival arts (e.g. samba drumming, costume making, dancing)
Crafts (knitting, wood, pottery etc.)
Creative writing – stories, books, plays or poetry
Dance
Digital creativity (e.g. design, gaming programming etc.)
Drama and theatre
Exhibitions in prisons
Live music in prisons (performance)
Music making (playing an instrument) and composing
Painting, drawing, print-making and sculpture
Photography, making films or videos
Singing
Other cultural activity (please tell us what)
Cost of provision
Organisations were asked to tell us how much additional funding they are bringing to the prison
environment. Third sector spending ranged from £40,000 per project per year to £180,000 per project per
year. Only seven third sector agencies were able to share their spending on prison services for the Arts
Review. Notably, these seven agencies were investing £500,000 per year in prison-based arts activities.
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Any partnership agreement between prisons and charities should ask the organisation what the full cost of
their service provision is. This would include not only the cost of the worker placed within the prison
(including holiday time, sick pay, tax and NI), but also the cost of their management. Once the level of
investment is fully understood by leaders within SPS, the operational issues which prevent this resource
reaching its full potential are more likely to be addressed.
Prisons were asked to give a snapshot of their provision in February 2015
According to reports by Heads of Offender Outcomes, HMP Edinburgh and Dumfries have the widest range
of services, with Edinburgh providing 13 of 14 art forms, and several options for subjects which are literacy-
related (e.g. book festivals and reading groups), music and exhibitions. HMP Dumfries was providing 8 of 14
possible activities, with multiple options in literacy-related topics (e.g. book groups, creative writing), music
making, and photography. HMP Grampian is able to offer 7 of 14 possible art forms, with several options
available for crafts.
Around half of prisons were able to offer between 3 and 5 different art forms.
Four prisons were offering only two different art forms, and two prisons reported that they currently have
no arts activity currently taking place.
5.2 Creating Space
An important part of the work we are doing to embed arts in prisons relates to ‘where arts activities are
delivered’. The aim is to turn the whole prison into a learning environment, where people feel stimulated
and inspired to engage with education and other personal growth opportunities. Prison staff were asked to
explain where they think arts activities could be undertaken, in terms of physical spaces.
An increased presence of the arts is deemed to alter the prison environment for the better, inspiring and
challenging people to think about the art works and their messages, creating a sense of ‘ownership’ for
those who made the work (decreasing vandalism in cells, for example), and reminding people of the
opportunities to learn and try new things.
It is only with the support of staff on the ground that we will be able to extend arts activities into
appropriate areas in all prisons. The most popular (and practicable) spaces include: Education, Multi-faith
rooms, Gym, Links Centre, Visit Room, Workshops, Library, Rec halls and Visitors’ Centres.
Exhibitions of art work have a similarly positive impact, and prison staff suggest that possible new exhibition
spaces include Education, Multi-faith, Gym, Visit Room, Links Centre, Workshops, Rec Areas and the Library.
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6. The Arts in Prison: understanding tensions
The section which follows will explore some of the issues for provision of arts services on the ground.
However, in addition to the operational issues experienced by arts delivery agencies, Learning Centre teams
and SPS staff, there is a very important wider context that must be understood.
The Arts in a Punitive Environment: Public Attitudes
It is important to recognise that provision of services to prisoners is influenced by wider societal attitudes
towards prison and punishment. In this context, the Scottish Prison Service has to balance the tasks of
rehabilitation with the public’s perception that prisoners should be deprived of life-enhancing experiences
during their sentence:
“Despite the benefits that are clearly apparent from prisoners taking part in these activities, it would
seem that there is another view to be had and that is that some people think that prisoners should
simply not be allowed to take part in ‘fun’ activities”4
4 Artlink Central (2007): The Arts and Prisoners – Creative Rehabilitation, p.13
Where arts activities can take place
TOTALS Yes No Possibly
Cells 6 8 1 Multi-faith facilities (Chaplaincy) 12 0 3
Education 14 1 0
Exercise yards 5 6 4
Football pitches 7 4 4
Garden 6 6 3
Gym 12 3 0
Library 9 5 1
Links Centre 10 4 1
Rec Areas / Halls 9 4 2 Community Integration Units 4 9 2
Visitor's Centre 8 5 2
Visit Room 11 0 4
Workshops 9 5 1
Where exhibitions can be held
TOTALS Yes No Possibly
Cells 6 8 1 Multi-faith facilities (Chaplaincy) 12 0 3
Education 14 1 0
Exercise yards 5 6 4
Football pitches 7 4 4
Garden 6 6 3
Gym 12 3 0
Library 9 5 1
Links Centre 10 4 1
Rec Areas / Halls 9 4 2 Community Integration Units 4 9 2
Visitor's Centre 8 5 2
Visit Room 11 0 4
Workshops 9 5 1
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The literature argues that the media and the public need to be convinced and that the “punitive myth should
be dispelled and until then the arts and rehabilitation have an uncertain future in which their full potential is
never realised”5.
Society and the Prison Service
Similarly, the Prison Service is judged on successes; the reduction in reoffending. However, it is rare to hear
about these successes, and instead the media focuses on high profile failures; headline-grabbing examples of
re-offending. In this context, the arts sit in a vulnerable place:
“The minute you got somebody that isn’t going to reoffend because they found out they can paint, or
because they found out they could write poetry or sculpt, it’s never getting in the papers. It will get in the
papers when they have reoffended. So you will never hear about successes…Our society is such that it likes to
publicise the failures”6.
In this context, the successful use of the arts as a rehabilitative option requires a strategic response, and
committed approach by all senior staff within the prison service. It demands preparedness by the
Communications Directorate, and the ability to justify the use of the arts as a tool for engagement and
transformation, with a clear Public Relations strategy. The arts have significant value in building bridges
between prison and the community, encouraging wider society to recognise the human needs of people in
prison, and the need for innovative approaches to supporting people to transform their lives.
Transcending stereotypes
Creative Scotland’s Guide for Artists in Prison explores the attitudinal barriers to provision of arts activities in
prisons:
“Artists working in prisons have long been asked the question ‘why do art in a prison? What is the
function of it in there? In many ways it is a complicated question – fraught with inherited scepticism
and traces of the tired stereotypes of circle games and poster paint collages on a Friday afternoon.
And yet, as artists we know that answer is in fact very simple. Because, you see, art is the practice of
being human”7.
These stereotypes, also evident in some research around prison staff attitudes to the arts, must be
challenged by creating a greater understanding of the processes and products, values and approaches to
working with the arts in a custodial setting. Improved communication and information sharing, co-planning
between partner agencies and shared evaluation, along with involvement from non-specialist support staff
will serve to dispel pre-judgements and subvert negative stereotypes of arts workers and external arts
organisations.
5 Artlink Central (2007): The Arts and Prisoners – Creative Rehabilitation, p.15
6 Koestler Trust (2014): The Arts of Desistance: Evaluation of the Koestler Trust Arts Mentoring Programme for Former
Prisoners, p.53 7 Creative Scotland (2015): Guide for Artists Working In Prisons, p.4
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The Arts in a Custodial Environment
The move by SPS to scrutinise arts programmes across the estate, with a view to embedding the arts as a
strategic priority within the learning provision, heralds a new phase of innovation and a genuine investment
in person-centred, holistic services.
However, research suggests that the prison environment, in itself, undermines work towards desistance:
“The nature of imprisonment itself means that it runs against the grain of desistance by limiting
agency and responsibility, delaying maturation, damaging social ties (and sometimes building anti-
social ones) and cementing criminal identities… the challenge is to create whole regimes that foster
hope, motivation and responsibility, that maintain and develop positive ties, and that help to build
new pro-social identities and social networks and contexts in which these new identities can be
embedded, nurtured and sustained”8.
At the same time, there are realities presented by the secure environment in which this arts practice takes
place, which must be recognised as potential barriers that may reduce positive impact:
“The benefits…are arguably more difficult to achieve through arts-based programmes that operate in
prison settings, not least due to the physical and regulatory constraints such settings typically
impose” 9.
Aligning Measures of Success: An evidence base for practice
The literature identifies issues around evidencing ‘success’ which may contribute to tensions between
criminal justice agencies and arts organisations.
“There is a fundamental disconnect between the work being done by arts organisations and
measures of success within the criminal justice system. While government targets are built around
an end – offending – arts organisations tend to focus on means – personal, social and emotional
skills. What is often lacking is a clear theory of change and evidence that links one to the other”10.
Indeed, prior to the SPS Organisational Review, this may have created barriers. However, within SPS’ revised
values and mission, the arts should be perceived as ‘tapping into’ and evolving key skills and behaviours that
will contribute to the overall reduction in re-offending. Improvements in partnership working, particularly
around evidencing impact, monitoring and evaluation, have the potential to increase the impact, both real
and perceived, of arts interventions in prison.
8 Universities of Glasgow / Strathclyde / Edinburgh (2011): Inspiring Change: Final Project Report of the Evaluation
Team, p.40 9 Koestler Trust (2014): The Arts of Desistance: Evaluation of the Koestler Trust Arts Mentoring Programme for Former
Prisoners, p.46 10
New Philanthropy Capital (2011): Unlocking Value: The Economic Benefit of the Arts in Criminal Justice, p.38
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Recognising the Interconnectedness of Services
A reality for arts agencies working in prisons is that their services are delivered alongside a wide range of
other provision. The literature suggests that once someone has engaged in arts work, they are more likely to
take up other opportunities, which means that this cohort of prisoners is benefiting from improved access to
services which may, in parallel, address a range of criminogenic needs.
Arts agencies, SPS staff and Learning Providers must settle with the idea that no intervention can be deemed
‘stand-alone’, and that the impact of arts engagement cannot be separated from the impact of formal
programmes and contracted education services. All partners should look to accept this reality, which will
limit the potential for arts agencies to ‘over-claim’ their impact and should enable strong partnerships to
report on the benefits of the arts, whilst recognising their interconnectedness with other services.
Recognising Value
The Intrinsic Value of the Arts
The level to which individual staff and participants ‘buy into’ the arts may relate to their own perception of
the value of these activities. For those prisoners and staff who have previously engaged with the arts and
understand on a personal level the capacity for positive impact, this would not pose a problem. However,
for many individuals – both staff and offenders - the arts may be something they stopped doing when they
left school, and thus the inherent value of arts activity – “doing art for art’s sake; growth, expression or
enjoyment and a positive affective experience”11 - may not be accepted. In designing an improved arts
provision, this must be taken into account, with work to change attitudes and create buy-in across SPS staff
and partners.
Monetary Value
Significant additional funding is brought into prisons through arts agencies. This should be recognised, and
charities should be in a position to understand and explain the full cost of their services. Once this financial
investment is overtly understood, arts agencies may find a change in attitudes on the ground, as staff begin
to recognise the contribution being made, leading to commitment across all staff to assist arts programmes
to reach their potential in prison settings.
11
Arts Alliance (2012): Re-imagining Futures: Exploring Arts Interventions and the Process of Desistance. p. 51
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7.1 Practical Provision – Issues and Solutions
The majority of arts-based learning takes place in Scottish prisons as a result of partnerships, formal and
informal, between third sector agencies, SPS and Learning Centres. The following themes have been
identified by SPS, Learning Centre and Third Sector partners, along with solutions to improve all areas of arts
delivery in prisons
ISSUE 1: A need for co-ordinated arts services, provided across all prisons, in conjunction with local need. In order for improvements to be achieved across the estate, the work needs to be overseen by the Learning and Skills team, ensuring information transfer and quality assurance. For this to happen, the arts need to become a strategic priority for SPS, within the New Generation Learning Contract.
Challenges
- A lack of strategic priority: there was a perception that arts are not a strategic priority, partly supported by the fact that most arts provision is funded by external agencies (and thus not deemed to be as important as SPS-funded work)
- A need for increased understanding of ‘Soft outcomes’: the arts assist people to make progress primarily with ‘soft’ outcomes. These outcomes need to be better understood by all partners, in order to achieve greater support for arts delivery on the ground
- Local arrangements for arts provision: decisions will sometimes be made locally, with Governors resourcing arts work from prison budgets. This has given rise to some excellent arts projects, supported at all levels in the prison, as a result of the originator of the idea being a senior prison staff member. However, this does not link well with national strategy, nor does it allow for sharing of learning when the project has ended.
- Making better use of prison space: evidence suggests that prisons could be supporting the provision of arts activities in many different spaces with the prison. This would increase the uptake of services, reaching the hardest to reach, outwith the Learning Centre (e.g. multifaith centres, gyms, links centre, visit room etc.). By making better use of prison space, and encouraging all staff to facilitate this, we will break down barriers to education for people who would find it difficult to enter a formal education environment
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ISSUE 2: A need for improvements in partnership working mechanisms The majority of issues relating to arts provision ‘on the ground’ are due to poor partnership working practices. The same issues were identified through the SPS-led ‘Partnership Development Initiative’ (2008-2012). The Arts Review demonstrates that these issues are still affecting the quality of delivery by third sector agencies, due to operational and cultural differences between stakeholder agencies
Challenges
- Structured Partnership Working: SPS has a structure for partnership working with third sector agencies, known as the Third Sector Partnership Framework. However, of the organisations delivering arts in prisons, only one (Artlink Central, working with Cornton Vale) had used the framework to develop a robust partnership arrangement. This should be explored: if the partnership framework is too demanding for arts agencies to use, an alternative approach must be identified. SPS should clarify their expectations in relation to using the partnership framework
- Partnership working across three agencies: in order for successful arts partnerships to happen, the work must involve both the prison and the learning provider as equal partners
- Planning processes to support understanding of arts practice: appropriate planning processes would enable prison and education staff to better understand the nature of arts delivery, the aims of a programme, the artists’ practice in relation to participants and how they intend to provide a programme that meets genuine need
- Planning processes to support differences in organisational culture and increased understanding of these: work undertaken by SPS between 2008 and 2012 identified issues around cultural differences between SPS and third sector staff. These remain evident, and improved partnership working processes will serve to increase shared understanding and mutual support between SPS, Learning Centre staff and third sector providers
- Independent investment (by arts agencies) failing to reach its potential: due to the operational,
cultural and strategic differences between SPS and its third sector partners, independent investment (currently estimated at £40K p/a, per arts project), is not yet reaching its potential. Improved partnership working processes between arts agencies and the SPS would significant increase the reach of services, the level of referral and the positive benefits for prisoners
- Reliance on exceptional SPS staff: good partnership working with third sector agencies is usually the result of one or two SPS excellent staff members ‘making it happen’. It is often the case that these strong staff members are promoted during the course of project delivery, and may be replaced by an individual who is less invested / supportive. Improved partnership working agreements would avoid partnerships being undermined by a change in staff member
- Challenging the status quo: across the board, stakeholders maintain that frontline SPS staff can ‘make or break’ an arts project. In order for the arts to be truly embedded alongside learning provision, senior SPS staff must reiterate the value and increase ‘buy-in’ amongst prison officers
- Short term interventions: partnerships with third sector agencies are weakened by the short term nature of funding. Good partnership planning processes would offset this, by enabling better long-term planning of delivery, exit strategies and throughcare
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- Access to services: prisoners reported poor access of services, lack of availability of specific activities
and delays in accessing provision. More co-ordinated partnership working in the arts would enable organisations to ensure ongoing provision, and better access to opportunities
Operational Issues for Third Sector Providers include: - Tensions between security and arts provision - Difficulties with SPS staff understanding arts practice and workshop content (e.g. ‘process over product’) - Status of partner agency: difficulties around SPS staff treating the partner agency as an ‘equal partner’
offering something very different to what the prison can offer - Contracted vs informal relationships: arts agencies report needing to adapt to different levels of
‘informality’ in their relationship with different prisons - Planning and co-ordination: all stakeholders agreed that a structured planning process for arts projects
would enable more consistent, quality provision - Availability of appropriate space for delivery: evidence of arts workshops having to take place in
inappropriate spaces, due to a lack of available space in the prison (this includes issues with room bookings and SPS officer availability)
- Signposting and referral between agencies: lack of joined-up communication, meaning that prisoners are not being signposted to relevant services
- Issues around referrals by personal officers (due to lack of awareness of arts projects by officers) should be addressed to optimise engagement by prisoners
- Organisational language: issues arise from a difference in organisational language, sometimes causing challenges / confusion
- Resources: arts work is, in the main, funded by third sector agencies. However, whilst the additional investment is welcome and could be used to build capacity, this situation currently creates a patchy provision which is uncoordinated
- Funder investment: the level of interest in this area of work by independent funders fluctuates. This may impact third sector agencies’ ability to bring in new money to sustain services
- Monitoring and evaluation: an absence of agreed parameters for arts provision across the prison estate
ISSUE 3: Poorly resourced arts provision Funding for independent arts provision is haphazard, often short-term and often puts pressures on third sector agencies (who are concurrently trying to meet the needs of the prison and of the funder, whilst providing a service that genuinely meets client need). This does not create a co-ordinated and sustainable arts provision.
Challenges
- The short term nature of arts provision is usually related to a lack of available resource, or sustained resource (provided by the third sector). An Arts Innovation Fund, held by SPS, would allow for better planning and resourcing of arts programmes
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ISSUE 4: Absence of strategic links and networks The Scottish Prisons Arts Network is a young organisation tasked with creating an active network of specialist providers. This resource could be supported by SPS in order to reach more arts agencies and develop access
Challenges
- Failure to share and learn from arts work across the estate: the lack of cohesion across the SPS in terms of arts practice and partnership working with third sector agencies means that we are not currently learning enough from the individual projects taking place, nor are we sharing this learning with other prisons
- Professional standards of arts delivery: professional arts practice includes a series of high level skills and experience. This should be recognised, and only third sector staff with appropriate skill levels should be involved in delivering arts work. In the main, these staff will be practising professional artists and facilitators
- The need to enable Learning Centre Managers to share knowledge of arts programmes: increased connectivity between Learning Centre Managers was reported
ISSUE 5: The need for arts provision to be overseen centrally, to ensure high quality, relevant and safe activity by external agencies. Increased capacity at head office would ensure a far greater impact for external investment in arts-related services.
Challenges The arts have great potential to increase engagement, reach the ‘hardest to reach’, provide holistic and embedded learning opportunities, and to create positive change in soft skills, confidence, self-esteem etc. However, considerable work needs to be done to influence SPS staff and partners to move together towards a more co-ordinated range of activities. Within the current Learning and Skills team, there is no-one responsible for service delivery per se. The team is structured around project management (one post), and families (one post), with a team leader who oversees the delivery of the contract. In order for improvements in arts delivery to take place, a part time staff member would be needed, working at a level whereby they could approach GiCs and HOOs, whilst being able to speak the language of third sector arts providers.
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ISSUE 6: A need to build widespread support for the arts in prisons through improved liaison with all relevant parties. Currently, communication is patchy, information is not shared and thus the arts do not benefit from the level of support which would enable far more positive impacts for a higher number of prisoners
Challenges
- Absence of information on the arts in prisons: a webpage within the SPS site, with all documents from the Arts Review should be set up and shared with all staff
- Create and disseminate documents to stakeholders, including: Arts Review Report Arts Review: Benefits of Arts for Offenders Arts Review: Directory of Providers Arts Review: Research Literature Creative Scotland’s Guide for Artists
ISSUE 7: An absence of shared understanding of the impact of arts practice in this complex setting creates a diffuse picture. There is a need to bring together policy makers, statutory agencies, third sector providers and academic experts to create a fully-fledged model of arts participation in prisons and a clear picture of the benefits of these services in terms of desistance, personal progress and access to wider services.
Challenges
- An absence of agreed monitoring and evaluation parameters for arts in prisons: arts provision is currently impacted by:
Poor evaluation design, including a lack of ‘control groups’ Lack of follow-up: pre-and post-intervention measures of impact at appropriate timescales Lack of agreement of ‘indicators’ of change and/or ‘theory of change’: arts organisations, SPS and Learning Providers, along with academic specialists could usefully collaborate to create an evidence base for impact Data collection methods are hampered by poor information transfer between SPS and third sector staff
- An absence of longitudinal evidence relating to recidivism post programme-engagement
- The work of expert agencies (New Philanthropy Capital, Koestler Trust, National Alliance for the Arts in Criminal Justice) may not be known by Scotland-based third sector providers: Work to share this knowledge should be undertaken
- Funding for the development of robust evaluation is difficult to access: relationships with funders
should be established to encourage investment in evaluation practice across the third sector criminal justice arts arena
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7.2 Recommendations
There follows a series of seven recommendations, along with suggested actions to address the issues
outlined by Heads of Offender Outcomes, Third Sector staff, Learning Centre Managers and prisoners.
1. Build Arts Provision into the New Generation Learning Contract
By doing so, provide a clear structure which enables better communication and co-ordination between the Learning and Skills Team at SPS HQ and local prisons / learning centres
Actions - Identify prison needs: work out a detailed picture of each prison’s needs in relation to arts provision - Identify the most likely areas for the arts to complement and enhance educational delivery, particularly
around core and life skills - Identify required arts services: along with prison staff, identify the key areas of arts activity that would
most benefit that particular prison population, to ensure a balanced range of opportunity going forwards
- With this new information, devise an SPS Arts Strategy, to achieve better integration and co-ordination of services by all partners
2. Improve Partnership Working
Increase the value of Partnership Working in the arts, creating positive change in the way that arts agency involvement is supported and co-ordinated by prison staff Create a change in the perceived value of third sector work in prisons, encouraging increased understanding of, support for, arts work ‘on the ground’
Actions - SPS to issue guidance to all arts agencies about use of the Third Sector Partnership Framework - All Learning Centre Managers (SPS and Contract Managers) to meet with all external arts agencies, to
clearly outline what is available in terms of formal education opportunities. This will aid signposting to formal education post arts-engagement
- Over time, a partnership process for the arts should be defined and accepted by all agencies - Open a dialogue between arts organisations and SPS to ensure clear understanding of the acceptable
boundaries for the arts in a custodial environment, including clear processes for communication
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3. Capital Development
Develop a resource for arts in prisons, identifying and securing external investment, to create an Arts Innovation Fund for arts provision in prisons
Actions - Arts partnerships (between an external organisation and the prison and learning centre) apply for the
Arts Innovation Fund resource jointly, and the strongest projects are taken forwards - Develop and trial an interface between the Arts Innovation Fund and Learning and Skills team, with a
finite number of projects. Test planning, delivery and evaluation models to develop an efficient process for partnership working in the arts in prisons
4. Strategic links with national criminal justice arts network SPAN Develop a strategic relationship with SPAN. Together, build a ‘national direction for the arts in criminal justice’. Use this activity to raise awareness of the value of the arts amongst senior decision makers, including Scottish Government staff
Actions - Pull together a multi-agency steering group, to include funders, arts agencies, senior prison staff, led by
the Learning and Skills team - With SPAN, create a Directory of Arts Providers specialising in Criminal Justice. Disseminate this to HOOs
and GiCs to inform decision making - Develop a series of training events, in partnership with SPSC, attracting a cross-sector audience to
address ongoing issues around arts delivery in prisons. These should be topic specific, focusing on specific areas for improvement, e.g. monitoring and evaluation, programme design, risk assessment, appropriateness of themes and ‘ways of working’ with particular offender groups
- Organise a high-profile arts event to attract funders and government support
5. Learning and Skills team to build capacity to manage arts services Appoint a part time staff member, specialising in the arts, to manage the interface between prisons and external agencies, ensure that projects support wider SPS strategy, and to undertake key actions identified through the SPS Art Review
Actions - Currently we are working with third sector investment that does not reach its potential, due to
operational issues. The Learning and Skills team would benefit from a part time arts specialist staff member, to address the issues and needs identified in this report
The staff member would be responsible for:
- developing a draft strategy for the arts within SPS - undertaking intensive local scoping: looking at the needs of prison populations and current provision at
a local level, including the appropriate arts provision for short and long-term populations. They would support prisons to build local networks of arts providers and ensure that these arts providers were ‘connected’ to the wider arts in criminal justice agenda
- liaising with prison staff locally (some prisons have ‘Arts Officers’), creating a network of SPS arts representatives to ensure local work continues to support SPS’ wider priorities
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- leading on the interface with arts networks such as SPAN, and with funding bodies who may support the work going forward
- compiling evidence of ‘best practice’ and sharing successful models of arts provision with other prisons - supporting the development of new partnerships, involving learning centre and prison staff - identifying opportunities for community-facing work, using the arts to change attitudes towards
offenders, whilst being sensitive to the issues around public perception of crime and punishment
6. Develop a Communications Strategy for the arts in prisons
Aimed at improving communication, cohesion and co-ordination related to the arts in prisons, amongst staff and partner agencies
Actions - Website: secure a webpage within the SPS site for the Arts Review and accompanying documents.
Share this page with all SPS staff. Include detail of the benefits of the arts as a tool for engagement and transformation.
- Work with the Communications Directorate to devise a statement on the arts for offenders, to enable timely responses to the media
- Create and disseminate documents to include: Arts Review report Arts Review Accompanying Document: The Benefits of the Arts for Offenders Arts Review Accompanying Document: What Matters to SPS? Arts Review Accompanying Document: Research Literature Arts Review Accompanying Document: Directory of Third Sector Providers Creative Scotland’s Guide for Artists
7. Ensure that the delivery of arts activity within a custodial environment includes agreed aims and
objectives for the participants / learners. This includes a clear process for reporting and evaluating activities
Actions - Working with Creative Scotland and Scottish Government, explore the potential for qualitative research
of the arts in custody to further inform policy and strategic development - Establish links with other jurisdictions to share good practise and potential for research partnerships
benefiting from extending cohort groups or economies of scale - SPS to include the arts as a key aspect of the current proposals to progress learning and skills research,
in partnership with academic institutions
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8 Registered Third Sector Agencies Delivering Arts in Prisons
For detailed information, please see accompanying document:
SPS Arts Review: Directory of Providers The work of these agencies is described in detail in the accompanying document SPS Arts Review: Current Providers. This document covers:
- Third Sector organisations’ work in general - Detailed description of arts programme(s) offered in prisons currently - The prisons the organisation is currently working in - The range of activities provided (e.g. crafts, creative writing, dance, digital
creativity, drama and theatre etc.) - What drives the organisation’s practice: rationale for ‘how the organisation works’
in prisons The document is recommended to SPS staff and Learning Centre Managers, to help with decisions about working in partnership with third sector arts agencies.
We contacted third sector arts providers via Creative Scotland’s Opportunities Portal, SPAN, ACOSVO and
SCVO (Third Force News). We expressly asked for only organisations who are currently working in prisons to
get in touch, to avoid the inevitable ‘pitching’ by organisations wishing to develop new work in this area,
which would have created an unclear and over-optimistic picture of provision.
Twelve Third Sector organisations registered as currently providing arts services in prisons. These were:
- Artlink Central
- Centrestage
- Citizen’s Theatre
- Cutting Edge Theatre
- Far Flung Dance
- Glasgow Women’s Library
- Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
- Station House Media Unit
- Theatre Nemo
- The Reading Agency
- Ukele Workshops in Scotland
- Vox Liminis
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Third Sector Delivery Agencies
Twelve third sector organisations currently delivering arts programmes in prisons engaged with the SPS Arts
Review. This number was far lower than had been anticipated, despite having made contact with the sector
via three different umbrella agencies. Where Heads of Offender Outcomes told us about third sector
agencies who had not registered with the programme, we sought to follow up these links. However, at least
nine organisations doing one-off arts projects in prisons failed to respond to repeat contacts.
Developing Strong Partnerships
Of the twelve organisations who told us about their work, only four had used the Third Sector Partnership
Pack or another formal agreement (e.g. Service Delivery Agreement, for those subcontracted by the Learning
Provider).
The Third Sector Partnership Pack was intended to be used by all external agencies who are self-funded and
working in a prison. Given that two thirds of the agencies did not have a formal partnership agreement with
SPS, it is clear that there would be resulting issues with communication, information sharing, programme
design, efficiency, monitoring and evaluation, staff support for the work and so on.
The absence of clear partnership structures must be addressed for organisations working in the arts.
Scottish Prisons Arts Network
SPAN was established with funding from Creative Scotland, to bring together third sector arts specialists
working in prisons. However, of the twelve responding organisations, only five were members of SPAN. The
remaining seven organisations either did not know of SPAN’s work, or expressed an interest in joining the
organisation in the future.
This demonstrates a need to strengthen the membership of SPAN. A programme of high-impact events,
delivered in partnership with the SPS, would serve to reinvigorate the network. SPAN has recently had 12
months funding confirmed by Creative Scotland. Longer-term funding arrangements would assist SPAN in
consolidating its membership and planning a series of engaging events.
SPS could consider working with SPAN to develop a series of partnership training and criminal justice arts
practice events, which would yield income for the network. The quality of these events is paramount, and
the programme should be designed to attract Third Sector, SPS and Education professionals.
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9 Prisoner Consultation
A consultation was held with ten prisoners who engage with arts projects in HMP Perth. Their comments are included in this report, and in the accompanying documents.
There was a frequently expressed frustration around the lack of available resources for arts-based learning in prisons. The group was very interested in the strategic
benefits of the arts for the prison environment, and how resources could be better organised to provide a wider range of consistent services. They had fascinating insights
into peer tutoring, the role of education in the prison in general, and the positive difference it can make to individuals.
Key themes for prisoners using arts-based learning opportunities included:
Issue Commentary by Prisoner Relates to Offender Outcome
Therapeutic value
It’s kind of unique in the education system in prison. It’s the only thing you get that’s therapeutic.
It’s relaxation, as you say. The therapy side of it. So with me, I find it quite a relaxing situation to be in, ken?
Yeah, you just forget about everything. I do art therapy. And that…group works and everything, I wasn’t able to do. Speaking in front of people, an all that. I was kinda shut off. It gives you something come and do, and you know that’s your wee zone, and you can just be yourself.
If you’re doing English and things like that, that’s all about getting out and getting a job and shit. But if it’s art, man, it’s more therapeutic and that kinda stuff.
It’s the only thing that I get…call it ‘therapeutic’…I know it’s just a term, but it’s the only class that I’ve ever enjoyed.
It’s obviously going to uplift your mood, an all, because if you’re not doing anything, you’re just going to sit, and you end up depressed and you don’t want to go to work and you canny be bothered to talk to anyone…
It sounds a bit camp…you know… but ‘inner peace’. A bit of tranquillity, and being able to process things a bit better…
Nobody’s ever mentioned it, but I suppose it would fall under the arts… I dunno…would yoga? I do that as well. It’s just a point I just thought of there, like… It’s another thing I do here, like. And when you were asking about things you canny quite put your finger on, that (yoga) teaches you a lot about breathing space, and calming yourself down. I didn’t like it at first, either. You see, the release you get from that, it’s the same kind of release you get from doing the arts. You don’t get it anywhere else, that feeling.
That yoga feeling… I’ve done a bit, not a lot. But it’s the same kind of feeling. It’s the only thing I’ve done in jail that gives you that
OUTCOME 1 Improved or sustained physical and mental wellbeing
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feeling.
Confidence It does, it gives you a lot of confidence. I mean, I got out. I was applying for college and apprenticeships, and out of everything on my CV they seen my drama qualification. And the guy goes “I see you’re willing to try everything, so I’m willing to give you a shot”.
Aye, a big impact, eh? You gain more confidence…cos you’re learning a new skill.
OUTCOME 1 Improved or sustained physical and mental wellbeing
Coping Mechanism
Aye, it gives you a coping mechanism.
It gives you a way to cope… not just to push things aside, but to give you a perspective where you can actually think things through. And you can relax.
It’s a wee bit of normality in the middle of…well…everything in here, eh?
You safely express how you are feeling, and not feel insecure about it. Ken, you can just have that breathing space.
For a couple of hours a week you can just sort of forget about being here, eh? Which is hard in here.
OUTCOME 1 Improved or sustained physical and mental wellbeing
Before I left school, and that, I didn’t get to do any exams. I got kicked out of school when I was younger, and it’s helping us a lot, in the sorta…I’m getting to learn what I didn’t stick in at school, but I get to learn now. It’s helped with my English.
Through this as well, but the likes of English is a big one. I’ve always wrote stuff and that, and the English teacher encouraged me… I was writing a kids book and she tells me to put it into the Koestler Awards, and I actually won an award. Things like that, well, it opens doors, eh? It shows you you’ve got potential to do more than you realise. It gives you the confidence to do other things, things that you think …”ah, I’m a prisoner, I’m a con, there’s no point, nobody will listen” and it shows you that it does work. Even the open learning here…it’s given you chances that you never expected to get in here.
OUTCOME 3 Improved literacy skills
So, outside, in an art class they’ll say “you’re doing a portrait of this”…it’s not like this, they go “what do you want to do”.
I miss that though. Say, in English, I was wanting to try and get more qualifications towards it. But when I say to you “What do you want to do”, well, I say “What can I do”… and there’s no structure for that there. It would be good if someone was teaching you, rather than just trying to follow assessment after assessment after assessment… When you’re at school, you’re teaching people how to read, you learn more of the language, you learn more about reading, and then go away and do your essays, or whatever. There’s none of that here. It’s just – you read a bit of paper, and then you answer the questions.
See the wheel – working the pottery wheel – I learned that. Some of the stuff, as guys keep at it, you see them when they first go in, just messing about. But then some of the stuff you see getting made is amazing. I’ve seen Buddhas that size (indicates) getting made and things like that… And some guys never knew they had that talent. Last time they done it, it was in second year at school.
Because we’ve got so much time, it’s easier to apply yourself. On the outside, your working life or whatever takes precedence, so
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you kind of neglect your hobbies, or your creativity or whatever. Whereas in here you’ve got nothing but time, so it’s good to hone your skills.
A lot of guys discover new talents in here. I ken it would be a good thing for people getting out and that. Ken, getting into a different line (of work).
You’re asking about further opportunities. The boy’s not here, but Ewan, who’s coming to watch the play, was in here with us on the last one I done… He got out. He was one of they people - he was so shy. He was so shy all the time. And he’s actually now one of Jess’ students (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), so it’s actually gave him a totally different way of life. He went out and applied to the university in Glasgow and now he’s a student. He’s coming to watch our play. He would have never had made it that far, he’s said it himself, without that, he’d have never have been where he was. He could have been back here. It’s opened a lot of doors.
OUTCOME 4 Employability prospects increased
Engagement
You need a bit of encouragement first. When I first come in, I’d never done any art work. And now I come every week, I love my art class. It’s the highlight of my week.
Friday morning is the highlight of my week. Drama on a Friday morning.
It’s the only Education class I do. You know, I’ve been in a long time.
It’s been the longest term one I’ve done.
I think it motivates them to look more into things…sometimes they’ve been interested by something that has never interested them in their life. So they can research it more, and maybe see what else they can do, maybe related to this thing. If they’d never tried it, they’d have never known that they liked it…
If you look at the private jails, even though they’re still going through SPS… You look at their Education department, they actually actively encourage you. They pay you to go to every session, even the gym…they pay you to go to the gym. Cos their whole outlook is ‘if we can educate you we can take you away from here’. It’s all one saying ‘you’ve got to do this programme, you’ve got to work, you’ve got to go to education’, but see, when you actually show someone a different way of life? If they can do that, why can’t these (public) jails take it on board?
OUTCOME 4 Employability prospects increased
Family
You can make things for your family, like, your daughters an’ that… out of clay. Drawing and painting. Other small stuff...you know…glass beads and things like that. Badges and ceramic work.
And we enter the Koestler every year. And you get the option of sending photos of it. I enjoy sending stuff out to my daughter, and she keeps a lot of things. But you can send the actual model, or painting or whatever to Koestler, or photos of it.
Your self-confidence, you see, cos I draw in my gaff and all, right, and see when you’re doing something for someone outside, know
OUTCOME 5 Maintained or improved relationships with families, peers and community
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what I’m talking about… and they say ‘thanks for that picture’ kinda thing, well, you feel kinda…alright… you get that connection, knowing that they’ve got that picture.
It gives you a sort of bridge to connect with them. And people are a lot more encouraging when they figure out that you’re doing something creative…
Communication
I couldn’t have done this a couple of years ago. Sitting in a group and having a chat, trying to communicate and all that. I’d try and say something and it wouldn’t come out right, and I’d get all frustrated and worked up. It’s helped me learn to communicate.
People are quite accepting. They’re quite open. They’ll talk in the group, so you can be quite comfortable with that.
Everybody’s got different abilities, and cos you’re all here in the same group, you sort of nurture each other, and you help each other out where you’re lacking or whatever.
People notice when someone’s a bit closed off and on their guard. It’s obviously affecting you. See, on the halls and that, people can see that as an opportunity to bully you, to take the mick. But in the arts it’s totally the reverse. They see them, and they feel more ‘wanting to try and help them’. They try to pull them in more, and I’ve seen boys in the drama class and you see them looking like ‘that was no good’, and they’ll come up and even if it wasn’t they’ll go “that was brilliant, brilliant!”
The likes of creative writing. I’ve always kind of jotted things down, like things you’re thinking of whatever… but it gives you structure, and you get some blank proformas, for thinking about what you’re going to do. That will encourage you to write wee stories, or put things down when you’re in your cell, or if you are a bit angry, there are certain things you can do to make yourself feel better. Whereas before, I would never have even taken an interest in that…it’s not something that would have crossed my mind. It’s just giving you the tool kit, if you like, on how to solve other problems.
It shows you you can do things that you don’t think you’re capable of doing. It gives you a chance to try new things and find out more about yourself.
It reminds you that you’re never too old to learn something new.
It lets you try a lot of things, and now I’ll try other things because of that, that I wouldn’t have tried before.
It shows you what you don’t know about yourself, eh?
Again, it’s like, because you’re confined in here and you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, it’s difficult in outside life to try and add something into your busy schedule, something creative, or something that’s nurturing a talent or whatever, whereas in here, you’ve got that time, so it’s good to surprise yourself and remind you that you are good at learning new things, or there is other talents…more strings to your bow, so to speak.
OUTCOME 9 Improvements in the attitudes or behaviour which leads to offending and greater acceptance of responsibility in managing behaviour and understanding the impact of offending on victims and families
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It shows that, even in the worst of situations, you can still find something that you can really enjoy. That you find quite beautiful, eh? And it’s a good thing, that feeling, because in a place like this, you can really feel quite lost at times. And to have something like that, where you can still go ‘I’ve got that’…
Wider Issues Identified by Offender Group Barriers to accessing services
With the likes of drama, it took me a year and a half to actually walk in the room. I’ve applied twice. I made it to the door the second time, but it was Jess kept coming back and coming back, saying “you can do it, you can do it”. And they threw me in there one day and just goes “just sit and watch and that”. And she kept encouraging us more and more… I swear to God. When I was telling people outside that I done it, even they didn’t believe I done it. And I was like “I’m telling you”…
Engagement
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was rewarding.
You’ve accomplished something…know what I mean?
You’re using your creativity as well. Arts is unique in that way, in comparison to English, Maths…. It’s unique. Definitely. It’s the only thing that does it.
Sense of accomplishment
Resource issues identified
Myself and Frankie, we do drama, and I do music as well, eh. Like, I’ve been in other establishments before, and when it comes to the arts and the musical side of things and drama and that, it’s quite a big thing. A lot of jails make a big thing of it, eh? And in here, there’s no funding for anything. When it comes to music, there’s nothing for us to do.
On that…See where I was saying about the other jails. Out of the ones I’ve been in, this one seems to come up with the most limitations when it comes to things like art. Not enough space provided, not enough funding. This one always seems to be really really limited. The education department is really small.
It’s no for a lack of asking. There has been a lot of us trying, and Education itself, the managers have been asking, but it didn’t happen.
It’s all waiting lists and that, as well. Like with the drama, because I’m not here for long enough, you cannot get on it. The language stuff’s good as well. I’m learning Spanish; it’s good…learning another language.
I find sometimes when you go to art, I find they don’t always have the proper supplies for you, eh? In here, they run out of clay, for weeks.
There’s a lot of coursework that you come across barriers with. There’s a set amount of places, or there’s not enough people
Resource issues identified
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sometimes. If you want to do your exams, if it comes to doing your Highers or whatever, you’re limited to what you can do next.
It’s always bits and pieces, eh? There’s always a shortage, with the teachers and that. There’s often a shortage. You always come up against obstacles when it comes to what you can get. There’s always a shortage in how far you can go.
For a while though, we were doing one to one sessions, with the art therapy and all that… again, due to funding, that had to turn to groups, and for some people groups can be hard, eh? Because when you’re trying to talk, and trying to … you feel vulnerable sometimes, with things like that… It’s because you don’t think you’re very good at the thing you’re doing, eh? Ken, once you’ve learned a wee bit you might be more confident going to a group, but to start with…
The resources is more of an issue than anything, eh… cos you come up against it, and it gets you more agitated, and you just don’t want to do more things, because you canny…
You notice that something’s gone from your routine. When they stop doing that class, you tend to miss it and think ‘what else is there that I could I go to’? You are limited to what you can go to. You’re limited to what space there is, the number of heads. I imagine that they’re limited in terms of resources, the number of heads you can get on the course. So they’ll say, ‘there’s a four month waiting list to get on that’, that can be disheartening sometimes.
Short-termism
They done a lot of small things in here as well. They done a thingummy, where a woman was coming in and teaching us djembe for six weeks. They done lots of small things like that. They things mean a lot. From time to time they’ll put on a wee thing for say, ten people. You know. But it needs more funding.
As it stands with Drama, it only runs once a year. Jess (Drama workshop facilitator) is trying her hardest, so that it’s a constant thing – so that it’s always there. And all the Cons that have done it, they’re wanting that. You see a lot of boys come on that, they don’t want to speak, they don’t want to open up. They’re all clamped up in their shell. And see when by the end of it, he’s a totally different person, they’re happy to communicate how they’re feeling, they’re happy to sit and say “I’m feeling down the day”.
Drama ends and then it’s like you’re sitting, it’s nine month to a year before you can get another class. Just when it’s becoming a big part of your routine, your life, then it’s gone. I think you were saying… it makes you have a downer. It would be much better if you knew there was something else happening soon.
I know you’ve talked about it (SPS) being a big establishment, and obviously it’s an old system so it’s hard to change and that…it’s hard to have something new… but the system is really really quick at taking away something that has been here. I mean, like, there’s so many budget cuts happening all the time. We see it all the time in the halls; be it with education, be it with food… We can’t quite understand that you’re cutting all this budget from here (indicates), and you take so much away, and they’re supposed to get so much a year, and we speak to Education and we ask them “why did you not do this class again”…”because we don’t have funding”… because they’re getting funding cuts. So why is there more stuff getting taken away that is being given? Especially in this day and age, when people are realising that Education has a big big impact on people’s lives…”
The benefits and limitations of short-term and long-term interventions Post programme ‘slump’ for offenders
You see, with the musical side of things, just a point… See, I was a peer tutor, and I used to teach the guitar class. And it’s a point to
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Peer to Peer Learning
how ‘short’ it is…it’s actually cons having to teach other cons. We’re not getting people who are qualified to teach people… when it comes to trying to get sheets and all that stuff, we had to try and figure it out ourselves where to find it, or write it ourselves…
A tutor would be handy for that, because it’s someone you can actually learn from, whereas, with a con you’re limited, you get frustrated, it can be difficult… You know, we’re not actually shown how to teach people, whereas the people who have done it as a career, they’ve been shown the best way to interact with people, the get the structure of the lesson… It shouldn’t be prisoners teaching prisoners….
Everything you’re learning, you’re trying to teach yourself… I’m trying to teach you, you’re learning, but I am learning as well, so it’s frustrating, eh?
This is a point. If you take any more than four (subjects) you don’t get paid. You’re supposed to get paid in education as well, but you don’t get paid. Because we’ve got a work party, we don’t get paid now. I was a peer tutor for about 10 months teaching guitar classes. I was losing money because of doing that. Now, if they got someone in, like yourself, they’d pay you to teach. But I’d not get paid for teaching a class.
I know you might think ‘it’s cheeky asking for money and that’, but my job was as a peer tutor, and I wasn’t getting paid. You get 33p per session, but you lost £4 per week of your wages.
There’s a point here. If you look around, you won’t see a single purple jumper (mentors?). There was 8 of us, that’s a lot of boys for the size of department..and there’s not one purple jumper out there now, because we don’t get paid for it. We’re coming away from work, missing out on money from work, I ended up doing 5 sessions a week here, so your work basically says “you’re full time education”, I lost my job at work and just got put here. And I was getting by on a cell wage, £5. You’re going here, you’re giving so much…and then you think, ‘what’s the point?’
Issues with Peer Tutoring
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10 Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank SPS’ Strategy and Innovative Directorate for commissioning this work, along with
everyone who took part in the consultation process, including all prisoners, third sector staff, Learning Centre
Managers and Heads of Offender Outcomes.
Particular thanks go to:
Kevin Harrison, Artlink Central
Pete White, William Sinclair, Joe Bowden, Positive Prisons Positive Futures
Jim King, Helen Forde, Carol Maltman, Offender Learning Team, SPS
Fraser Munro, Governor in Charge, HMP Perth
Alix Rosenberg, Research Team, SPS
Kirsten Sams, New College Lanarkshire
Katharine Brash, Fife College
Robin Anderson, SPAN
Jess Thorpe, RCS
Emma Turnbull, Creative Scotland
Tim Robertson, Koestler Trust
Clive Martin, Clinks
Colin Duff, independent consultant
Jennifer Hill
April 2015
