Evaluations

Applied Performance Arts Interventions within Justice Services: Moving 'Forward' Toward an Integrated Sustainable Evaluative Approach

This report evaluates the impact of a resettlement programme using forum theatre and therapeutic creative delivery in prisons, adult resettlement centres and secure units.  It focuses on the impact good partnership has on effective projects as well as the need for long-term sustained work in prisons to ensure the highest ... read on →

Authors Richard McHugh, Hannah Smithson (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Published January 2018

Artform Theatre

Organisation Odd Arts   Project venues Barton Moss Secure Unit, HMP Manchester, Langley House Trust resettlement centres

Participant type Male Ex offenders

Sample size: 50

Creative Leadership and Forum Theatre: An evaluation report for Odd Arts

The report evaluates one of Odd Art’s creative programme that uses applied and forum theatre to increase leadership and skills. The following key outcomes of the Odd Arts Creative Leadership programme all demonstrate factors related to confidence, self-awareness and self-presentation, and, therefore, skills and capacities required to show creative leadership ... read on →

Authors Lynn Froggett, Laura Kelly, Julian Manley (University of Central Lancashire)

Published January 2018

Artform Theatre

Organisation Odd Arts   Project venues Care 4 Children, HMP Wymott, Langley House Trust

Participant type Male Juvenile Offenders

Sample size: 89

The Arts of Desistance: Evaluation of the Koestler Trust Arts Mentoring Programme for Former Prisoners

This report presents and discusses the findings of an evaluation of an arts-based mentoring scheme that is aimed at prolonging and enhancing desistance from crime through providing former prisoners with opportunities to continue engaging with the arts after release. The evaluation focused both on the implementation and effectiveness of the ... read on →

Author Leonidas Cheliotis (London School of Economics)

Published October 2014

Artforms Creative Writing, Multi-Arts, Music, Visual Arts

Organisation Koestler Trust   Project venues Parc, Peterborough

Participant type Male and Female Adult Ex offenders

Sample size: 60

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

Sounding Out - Jim Cartwright

The report followed Music in Prisons as they ran a pilot ‘through the gate’ project which, through music, aimed to provide longer-term rehabilitative opportunities to previous project participants in order to help bridge the gap between life inside and out prison. The key aims were to assist reintegration; impact on ... read on →

Published 2013

Artform Music

Participant type Male and Female Adult Ex offenders

Sample size: 7

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 experience of ‘Journey Woman’ from the perspective of the participants

Using theoretical frameworks such as CBT, role theory, social learning theory and narrative therapy, Forensic Psychologist Rebecca Day explores women offenders’ experience of  Geese Theatre Company’s one week project ‘Journey Woman’, which was delivered four times at HMP Foston during 2007/08.  read on →

Author Rebecca Day (Geese Theatre)

Published January 2013

Artform Drama

Organisation Foston   Project venue Foston

Participant type Female Adult Offenders

Sample size: 34

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

Stitching a Future - an Evaluation of Fine Cell Work

An independent qualitative evaluation into the work of Fine Cell Work (FCW) in five prisons across England and Scotland, to identify the key benefits of being involved with FCW, establish why offenders participate and continue their involvement and investigate changes in soft outcomes such as behaviour, feelings about prison and ... read on →

Published July 2011

Artform Needlework

Organisation Fine Cell Work

Participant type Male and Female Adult Offenders

Sample size: 22

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

Evaluation of Supporters' Participation in Family Man Trials

AN EVALUATION OF SUPPORTERS’ PARTICIPATION IN THE REVISED ‘FAMILY MAN’ PROGRAMME DELIVERED IN BELMARSH, BIRMINGHAM, BRISTOL, HIGHPOINT AND WANDSWORTH PRISONS read on →

Author Avril Price

Published June 2009

Artform Drama

Organisation Boswell Research Fellows   Project venues Belmarsh, Birmingham, Bristol, Highpoint, Wandsworth

Participant type Male and Female Adult Families of offenders

Sample size: 21

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

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