Integrating Arts into offender
learning
24th September 2013
Purpose of today
We want to look at the challenges and
possible solutions of how arts can
contribute to helping providers and
establishments make progress under
OLASS 4.
Using the information from the day we aim
to write up a toolkit for providers which
offers practical solutions.
How did this event come about?
• Through the Arts Forum;
a tri-annual meeting with the Arts
Alliance and government officials.
Policy context
• Sharon Barrett –NOMS
• Richard Ward - BIS
• Sarah Stear – SFA
About the Arts Alliance
• We have over 370 members (artists, prison staff etc.)
• 1000 plus on the mailing list
• The Chair of the Arts Alliance is Tim Robertson the CEO
Koestler Trust and we are managed by Clinks
What do we do?
Aim; to ensure offenders get access to arts opportunities as
a springboard to positive change, by:
• commissioning independent research
• Raising the profile of arts in CJS
• Influencing policy makers
• Developing and sharing good practice through our
events and network
Myth busting
1. Arts are not relevant to the labour market
2. The arts are just a bit of gentle occupational
therapy to keep prisoners quiet
3. It’s a ‘nice to have’, but arts don’t link with real
learning outcomes and there is no evidence
that they work
4. Arts aren’t very cost effective
5. Arts are not a priority under OLASS 4 and too
difficult to deliver within the new contracts
1. Arts are not relevant to the
labour market
• Businesses in the UK arts and culture industry
generated an aggregate turnover of £12.4 billion in
2011
• The arts and culture industry employed, on average,
110,600 full‐time equivalent employees in the UK
during the period 2008‐2011.
• the economic contribution of the arts and cultural
sector has grown since 2008, despite the UK economy
as a whole remaining below its output level before the
global financial crisis
(The Arts Council)
• The Arts Council England
2. The arts are just a bit of gentle
occupational therapy to keep prisoners quiet
Research shows that arts contribute towards;
• (1) Sustained or improved physical or mental
well‐being. There is clear evidence that the
process of the arts projects addressed this
outcome.
• (4) Improved literacy skills. Participating in the
Inspiring Change projects built an active
learning culture, motivated prisoners to improve
their skills and learn in ways that suited them and
encouraged them to achieve their goals.
• (6) Maintained or improved relationships with
family, peers, and community. Benefits were most
evident for those whose families attended the
performances and shows. We also found numerous
instances of enhanced peer relationships.
• (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
families
3. It’s a ‘nice to have’, which doesn’t link
with real learning outcomes
Unitas (who work with young people to
deliver arts interventions)
• Over 70 youth offending teams participate
• 1279 Summer Arts Colleges participants
achieved Bronze Arts Award, 104 Silver
Arts Award
• 69% increased literacy and numeracy
(Tarling, R. 2012)
The Evidence Library
• The Arts Alliance Evidence Library just
won an award from the RSPH for its
contribution to research in arts and
wellbeing
• http://artsevidence.org.uk/
4. Arts are not very cost effective?
• Our research carried out with NPC found
that companies such as Clean Break and
Only Connect can save public money in
the long term
• Arts project can be delivered entirely
through philanthropic funding
• Also it’s a cost effective way to address
the outcomes already mentioned
5. Arts are not a priority under OLASS 4 and
too difficult to deliver with the new contracts
In the first year of OLASS 4, there have
been over 14,000 enrolments onto arts
courses across the Prison estate.
668+ arts based courses are listed on the
Skills Funding Agency approved for public
funding list in 2013/14.
Good practice case studies
• North West Cluster; being more creative with less
resources (John Platt & Pat Walker Director of
Quality, and Manchester college)
• HMP Peterborough; using social enterprise (Ann
Bellamy)
• Write to be Heard (Erin Riley & Patrice Lawrence)
• HMP Everthorpe; a philanthropic model (Mary
Devane)
Discussion groups; challenges and
solutions of integrating arts into;
1. Accreditation and progression routes (Nina
Champion)
2. Employability and social enterprise (Jess
Mullen)
3. Embedding basic and functional skills (literacy,
numeracy, language and IT) (Sara Lee)
4. Improving teaching standards and Ofsted
grading (Jen Walters)
5. Personal & Social development (Patrice
Lawrence)
6. Improving prison culture, behaviour and engaging
the hard to reach (Sylvia Hines)
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