Evaluations

An independent evaluation of Making for Change: skills in a fashion training and manufacturing workshop

Making for Change Fashion Training and Manufacturing Workshop is a partnership between HM Prison Service and London College of Fashion. Making for Change takes an innovative approach in prison, linked to improving the engagement of women in prison industries by providing training in fashion production skills and accrediting participants with ... read on →

Authors Laura Caulfield, Kerry Curtis, Ella Simpson (Bath Spa University)

Published August 2018

Artform Design

Organisations HMP Downview, London College of Fashion   Project venue HMP Downview

Participant type Female Adult Offenders

Sample size: 14

Art on the Inside: How Do Prison Art Teachers Maintain Their Professional Practice as Artist?

This evaluation asks the question: how do prison art teachers actively seek out opportunity for development and advancement in their specialist field? It empowers the voice of eight prison art teachers as artists working within a broad context of custodial settings including young offender’s institutes, adult male prisons and a ... read on →

Author Sophie Nickeas

Published August 2016

Artform Visual Arts

Organisation University of West London   Project venues HMP Highdown, HMP Lewes, HMP/YOI Bronzefield, HMYOI Cookham Wood, HMYOI Wetherby

Participant type Male and Female Adult Art teachers working in prisons/YOIs

Sample size: 8

Exploring Good Vibrations projects with vulnerable and challenging women in prison

This research involved 26 women who had successfully completed a Good Vibrations project, finding that:

  • for women in prison, taking part in a Good Vibrations project can reduce anger, worry, and levels of unhappiness, and improve social skills
  • reductions in anger, worry, and unhappiness may be sustained in the weeks ... read on →

    Author Laura Caulfield (Bath Spa University)

    Published December 2015

    Artform Music

    Organisation Good Vibrations

    Participant type Female Adult Offenders

  • Final evaluation of the Artist in Residence at HMP Grendon

    This report presents findings from the second half of a four year art residency at HMP Grendon. Through analysis of observational data, interviews, focus groups, and assessments of social climate with prisoners at HMP Grendon, this report concludes that the residency has promoted a number of positive outcomes. There is ... read on →

    Author Laura Caulfield (Bath Spa University)

    Published August 2014

    Artform Visual Arts

    Project venue Grendon

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders

    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

    The Melting Pot: Evaluation

    A three-year creative writing and mentoring project working at the DSPD Unit, HMP Frankland. The report shows how the project contributed to the overall well-being of men in the Unit and contributed to the rehabilitation programme. Section 2 includes a Replicability Model and the development of performance indicators and an ... read on →

    Author Caroline O'Keefe (Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University; Sheffield Hallam University)

    Published December 2013

    Artform Creative Writing

    Organisation Writers in Prison Network   Project venue Frankland

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders

    Re-imagining futures: Exploring arts interventions and the process of desistance

    Carried out by Northumbria University and Bath Spa University, this report highlights examples of how the arts can support positive changes linked to personal agency, efficacy and identity, which are linked to the highly individualised journey of desistance from criminal behaviour. Key findings show that participation in arts activities enables ... read on →

    Authors Charlotte Bilby, Laura Caulfield, Louise Ridley

    Published November 2013

    Artforms Craft, Creative Writing, Music, Visual Arts

    Organisation Arts Alliance

    Participant type Male and Female Adult Offenders

    Sample size: 30

    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

    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

    Elmina's Kitchen

    An evaluation of the impact of the performance of play in HMP Brixton on the Synergy Theatre participants invloved and the audiences. read on →

    Author Karin van Maanen (Anne Peaker Centre)

    Published 2007

    Artform Drama

    Organisation Synergy Theatre   Project venue Brixton

    Participant type Male Adult Offenders, Male and Female Adult Prison Staff, Male and Female Adult Public Audience

    Sample size: 417

    Go to homepage

    Arts Alliance Evidence Library

    Filters: Prison [x], Personal development [x], Adult [x]

    Filter by:

    Participant age [ + ]
    Participant gender [ + ]
    Delivery methodologies [ + ]