Evaluation Title

Tagged to a number

Type of evaluation

Data type Qualitative

Evaluation Focus Public perception of offenders

Key indicators Attitudinal change, Motivation to Change

Project output Performances

Methodologies Interviews, Observation, SWOT analysis

Research limitations Tracking

Summary of evaluation

An evlauation of the impact of involvement of young offenders and ex-offenders in the production and performance of an issue-based play and the impact on the audiences.

The project reached its target of reaching audiences of at least 1,000 young people and the production had a clear impact on young people’s perception of prisoners and crime.

Project description

Written by ex-offender and cast member Simon Bennett, Tagged to a Number addresses a number of youth crime issues identified by Richmond Police. Content of the script was devised in workshops led by the playwright and the director, Jim Pope, at HMP Latchmere House, and then turned into a multi-media production which was performed by a cast of HMP Latchmere House inmates and ex- offenders at the annual Youth Crime Conference in Richmond.

The play depicts the harsh realities of being in prison, from the discomforts of sharing a cell, having no privacy, being removed from your family (the main character’s grandfather dies whilst he is inside) and suffering from depression to the point of being suicidal.

The production subsequently toured to six secondary schools in the boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow. One of the aims was to tour the production to the borough of Lambeth, but the schools that were approached were unable to host the performances this year.

Key Quote

Richmond Police is of the opinion the productions have had an impact - Crime figures in Richmond have gone down for four consecutive years, since Synergy has been commissioned to contribute to the borough’s youth crime reduction strategy.


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