PPRG were commissioned to evaluate the Miss Spent programme from January 2006 using a multi-method research design including interviews and focus groups and documentary analysis. The evaluation considered:

• the impact of the project on participants;
• the contribution made to tackling offending behaviour and the causes of youth crime;
• the strengths and weaknesses of the arts methodologies used to achieve the project aims, and
• the impact of the project against the original aims.

5 programme cycles working with 35 girls were evaluated.

The Miss Spent programme had 6 main aims:

• To build on young women’s strengths and identify and promote confidence, attitudes and behaviour which reduce risk,
• To utilise the performing arts to enable young women at risk of and caught up in offending to develop their self-esteem, confidence and life skills,
• To provide relevant opportunities for girls and young women at risk of offending/currently offending to re-engage in education and training,
• To meet the unique needs of female offenders and value and promote the female perspective,
• To empower girls and young women to reach their full potential, provide participants with choices, decision making opportunities and ownership of the work, within a series of structured sessions,
• To create a programme that can be replicated nationally.

Indications are that the Miss Spent programme can lead to positive changes in levels of self-esteem and self-confidence, where these are low when participants begin the programme. The design, structure and content of the programme is congruent with good practice in both the fields of arts interventions in the criminal justice system and gender-specific programming.