Evaluations

Write to be Heard: Supporting Offender Learning through Creative Writing

The report explores the impact of a creative writing programme developed to engage ‘hard to reach’ learners in prison.   The mechanism was a creative writing competition, incorporating a schedule of workshops in 28 prisons, encouraging entrants to write pieces for broadcast on National Prison Radio (NPR).  Using qualitative and quantitative ... read on →

Authors Jane Hurry, Patrice Lawrence, Jessica Plant, Anita Wilson (Arts Alliance)

Published March 2014

Artform Creative Writing

Organisation Arts Alliance   Project venue Prisons around the UK

Participant type Male and Female Adult Offenders

Family Man: 2012-13 Evaluation Scope

The purpose of this evaluation is to demonstrate the long-term impact and cost-effectiveness of Family Man to policy makers, funders, prisons and practitioners; and to complement Gwyneth Boswell’s qualitative study of the revised Family Man and other previous evaluations. read on →

Published 2013

Artform Drama

Organisation Safe Ground   Project venues Belmarsh, Birmingham, Bristol, Dovegate, Highpoint, Leeds, Parc, Wandsworth

Participant type Male and Female Adult Families of offenders, Male and Female Juvenile Families of offenders, Male Adult Offenders, Male and Female Adult Prison Staff

Sample size: 500

“The Good Days are Amazing”  An Evaluation of the Writers in Prison Network 

This qualitative evaluation by Sheffield Hallam University was designed to:

  • map the activities of the Writers in Prison Network (WIPN)
  • identify the barriers and facilitators to effective delivery of the programme
  • identify effective practice
  • assess the impact of the programme on prisoners, writers and prison staff
  • assess the effectiveness of ... read on →

    Authors Katherine Albertson, Caroline O'Keefe (Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University)

    Published October 2012

    Artforms Creative Writing, Multi-Arts

    Organisation Writers in Prison Network

  • Good Vibrations: Music and social education for young offenders

    This evaluation looked at the project from the point of view of music education, identifying individual and social factors generated through musical development that also are attributed to desistence from crime. These were divided into two categories:- Individual Agency:Personal Identity Diversity Motivation Hope Self-determination Personal strengths  Social Interactions: Professional relationships ... read on →

    Author Jennie Henley (Institute of Education, University of London, University of London)

    Published August 2012

    Artform Music

    Organisation Good Vibrations   Project venue Swinfen Hall

    Participant type Male Young Offenders

    Sample size: 19

    An Evaluation of a Pilot Study of a Literature-Based Intervention with Women in Prison

    This study investigated whether ‘Get Into Reading’, a literature-based intervention, which had been established in other custodial contexts and non-custodial mental health settings in the UK transposed to a female prison; HMP Low Newton, and whether any of the benefits identified in custodial and non-custodial contexts elsewhere were reported by ... read on →

    Authors Josie Billington, Jude Robinson (University of Liverpool)

    Published 2012

    Artform Creative Writing

    Organisations National Personality Disorder Team, The Reader Organisation, University of Liverpool   Project venue HMP Low Newton

    Participant type Female Adult Offenders

    Special Projects Programme evaluation

    As part of WIPN's comprehensive evaluation of their work undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University, a separate evaluation of their Special Projects programmes was completed, focusing on the impact of the programme delivery on participants and stakeholders, specifically focusing on the challenges and benefits of the indoividual projects, their developents and recommendations ... read on →

    Authors Katherine Albertson, Caroline O'Keefe (Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University)

    Published April 2012

    Artforms Creative Writing, Multi-Arts

    Organisation Writers in Prison Network   Project venues Frankland, Full Sutton, Wormwood Scrubs

    An evaluation of the Artist in Residence at HMP Grendon

    Through observation and interviews with inmates and staff,this report documents the process of developing an artistic residency in a Therapeutic Community prison and provides an evaluation of the impact on those taking part. Based on observations across four prison wings and interviews with sixteen inmates, this report is able to conclude that ... read on →

    Author Laura Caulfield (Birmingham City University)

    Published October 2011

    Artform Visual Arts

    Project venue Grendon

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 16

    Inspiring Change: Final Project Report of the Evaluation Team

    An evaluation of a series of arts-based interventions across the Scottish criminal justice system, focusing on the impact of engagement in these programmes on offenders’ attitudes and behaviours as well as their ability to learn.The findings concentrate on examining the quality of the arts experience, the people and processes involved, ... read on →

    Authors KIrstin Anderson, Sarah Colvin, Fergus McNeill, Mike Nellis, Katie Overy, Richard Sparks (Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research, University of Glasgow, University of Glasgow)

    Published February 2011

    Artforms Creative Writing, Drama, Music, Visual Arts

    Organisation Motherwell College   Project venues Barlinnie, Greenock, Open Estate, Polmont, Shotts

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders, Male Young Offenders, Female Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 219

    The Great Escape: exploring the rehabilitative dynamics involved in 'Changing Tunes'

    The goal of this report is to develop a 'logic model' that can account for how Changing Tunes (CT) works as a rehabilitative strategy, outlining both the dynamic processes involved and their immediate/short-term and medium/longer-term impacts on the lives of participants. This analysis identified seven, key elements of the CT ... read on →

    Author Shadd Maruna (Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Belfast)

    Published 2010

    Artform Music

    Organisation Changing Tunes   Project venues Bristol, Bronzefield, Eastwood Park, Erlestoke, Exeter, Gloucester, Guys Marsh, Kingston, Leyhill, Parkhurst, Shepton Mallet, Winchester

    Participant type Male and Female Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 87

    Developments in the HM Prison Service and Safe Ground Family Man programme, and the Safe Ground Network during 2007-8: An independent review

    The purpose of this evaulation was to examine the developments Safe Ground had made to one of its prison interventions, Family Man, and to the Safe Ground network during the period 2007-08 following recommendations made in previous reviews. It utilised semi structured qualitative face to face interviews, telephone interviews and questionnaires ... read on →

    Authors Gwyneth Boswell, Fiona Poland

    Published October 2008

    Artform Drama

    Organisation Safe Ground   Project venues Belmarsh, Wandsworth

    Participant type Male and Female Adult Families of offenders, Male Adult Offenders, Male and Female Adult Staff

    Sample size: 258

    Beats & Bars - Music in Prisons: An Evaluation

    The report evaluated a series of five-day music projects which took place in eight men’s prisons across England from October 2007 to July 2008. The evaluation was aimed at understanding the impact of the project on its participants’ engagement with purposeful activities whilst in prison. In particular the impact of ... read on →

    Authors Alexandra Cox, Loraine Gelsthorpe (Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge , University of Cambridge)

    Published

    Artform Music

    Organisation The Irene Taylor Trust (Music in Prisons)   Project venues Brixton , Edmunds Hill, Littlehey, Manchester, Wandsworth, Wayland, Whatton

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 69

    Evaluation of Dancing Inside: a creative workshop by Motionhouse Dance Theatre_yr 2 programme

    This present study examines year two of the Dancing Inside project:Motionhouse Dance Theatre workshops conducted with prisoners in HMP Dovegate’s Therapeutic Community.  Its aim was to provide evidence for the short term impacts of participating in the workshops and also to examine the longer term gains made by dance participants. ... read on →

    Author Jennifer Brown (Forensic and Clinical Psychology Research Group, University of Surrey, University of Surrey)

    Published November 2004

    Artform Dance

    Organisation Motionhouse Dance   Project venue Dovegate

    Participant type Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 13

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