Evaluations

The Lullaby Project: areas of change and mechanisms of impact

Creative projects and their potential towards positive psychosocial change have been consistently evidenced, particularly with vulnerable groups. The Lullaby Project (developed by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in New York) has now been implemented in UK through two pilot experiences where the Irene Taylor Trust (who led the initiative), brought ... read on →

Author Sara Ascenso

Published November 2017

Artform Music

Organisations Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Irene Taylor Trust   Project venues HMP Wandsworth, Praxis Community Projects

Participant type Female Adult Migrants, Adult Musicians, Male Adult Offenders

Sample size: 21

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

  • Evaluation Report: Community Exchange project between detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre and young people at West London YMCA

    The report explores the project’s impacts on participants’ wellbeing and resilience, awareness and understanding, and musical skills. Based on observations, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, it contains a wealth of detail about the creative process and the experience of participants. The report also looks at the project as an example of ... read on →

    Author Katie Bruce (National Foundation for Youth Music)

    Published July 2015

    Artform Music

    Organisations Music in Detention, Sound Connections   Project venue Harmondsworth IRC

    Participant type Male Adult Detainees, Male and Female Young Young People at risk

    Good Vibrations: health and wellbeing of older offenders

    The purpose of this research project was to explore the older offender population and there engagement with the Good Vibration project.  The research found that:

  • Older offenders also experience the same emotional benefits as the general prison population
  • Older offender’s comments on additional benefits of the Good Vibrations project for ... read on →

    Authors Laura Caulfield, Dean Wilkinson (Bath Spa University; University of Worcester)

    Published 2014

    Artform Music

    Organisation Good Vibrations

    Participant type Male Older Offenders

  • Prison Reading Groups What books can do behind bars

    The report tells the story of the Prison Reading Groups (PRG) project from its beginnings in 1999 to the present. It makes the case for the importance of reading groups as informal learning in prison, and provides extensive evidence of the benefits of the groups: from prison governors, policy makers, ... read on →

    Author Sarah Turvey

    Published October 2013

    Artform Creative Writing

    Organisation Prison Reading Groups   Project venue Roehampton University

    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

    Music in our Time - an evaluation of a participatory creative music programme for older prisoners

    An evaluation of a participatory creative music programme for older prisoners in 6 prisons to assess its impact on improving health and well being. The evaluation focused on analysing the workshop experience; benefits and opportunities of the programme; and the perspectives of the musicians. read on →

    Authors Nick de Viggiani, Patsy Long, Sheila Mackintosh (University of the West of England )

    Published October 2010

    Artform Music

    Organisation Superact

    Participant type Older Offenders

    Sample size: 52

    Interim evaluation report: Overview and impact of delivery work in Year 2

    This evaluation is a participant-focused evaluation, looking at the responses of detainees actively participating in the project, members of IRC staff who were directly involved, and how members of the community responded to two of the community exchange projects which took place in 2008/2009. It covers the three key areas ... read on →

    Author Karin van Maanen (Anne Peaker Centre)

    Published 2009

    Artform Music

    Organisation Music in Detention   Project venues Dover IRC, Haslar IRC

    Interim evaluation report: May 2007 – May 2008

    An evaluation of the projects delivered by Music In Detention (MiD) in 3 Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) during 2007-08. It covers the music interventions, quality of life (for detainees) and channels of communicaton (between IRCs and communities/wider public). Within these areas it focused on the elements of self-expression, culturally relevant ... read on →

    Author Karin van Maanen (Anne Peaker Centre)

    Published 2008

    Artform Music

    Organisation Music in Detention   Project venues Dover IRC, Harmondsworth IRC, Haslar IRC

    All Together Now

    This study assessed the therapeutic benefits and value of taking part in Good Vibrations muisc projects - the study was written up in the Prison Service Journal in March 2007. read on →

    Author Alison Liebling (Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge , University of Cambridge)

    Published 2007

    Artform Music

    Organisation Good Vibrations

    Participant type Female Adult Offenders

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