The role of the Arts in engaging offenders Dr Laura Caulfield Head of Research & Consultancy and...

The role of the Arts in engaging offenders

Dr Laura CaulfieldHead of Research & Consultancy and Subject

Leader for Psychology: School of Society, Enterprise and Environment, Bath Spa University

Aims of this workshop

• To explore barriers to engagement and the challenges of creative activity in secure settings

• To provide an overview of the Arts in prisons and other secure settings

• To understand what current research tells us about the potential role of the Arts in secure settings

Barriers to engagement?

From Bilby, Caulfield, & Ridley (2013)

Current provision

Current research findings: the potential of the Arts

• Individual gains• Engagement• Towards desistance? • Prison/CJS/practitioner gains• New research directions: increasing the evidence base

‘Taking part has given me a push to work harder, I’ve come from a background of drink and drugs and violence and that’s all I have ever really known so to feel good about myself in positive way was something new to me……….I’m capable of doing better things.’

Good Vibrations Gamelan in Prisons Project participant, June 2008

Sources of information

• Evidence Library: http://artsevidence.org.uk/about-arts-alliance/

• Arts Alliance: https://www.artsalliance.org.uk/• Reports & publications discussed today (&

more): http://bathspa.academia.edu/LauraCaulfield

l.caulfield@bathspa.ac.ukTwitter: @laurascaulfield

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of InterestThe research discussed in this workshop has received funding from the following sources:• The Arts Alliance• The Motesiczky Charitable Trust• Good Vibrations