Community Focus - Doing the arts justice

Susan Ashmore wonders how we quantify the impact of arts projects in criminal justice settings. When Jack Black?s eccentric teacher in ?School of Rock? wanted to impress on students his antipathy towards the establishment, he talked about ?The Man?. The Man, according to Jack, was everyone in authority: the government, the police, schools ? anyone who tried to prevent you from expressing yourself. As arts organisations we, too, can harbour a deep-rooted suspicion of The Man. After all, we are different ? unique, grassroots, inclusive, creative. In fact, we would like to think we are the opposite of The Man. So what happens when the arts crosses over into the world of criminal justice and all its attendant rules and regulations? Do we simply slot in and become The Man at the risk of alienating our participants, or can we keep our independence while taking the Government?s shilling to carry out projects? There is no doubt that the arts are now viewed as a crucial tool in offender-management schemes and in rehabilitation. Of 700 projects run for offenders by the voluntary and community sector in 2003, well over half were arts projects. Those taking part in these programmes have gained valuable communication skills and new-found confidence. These skills will inevitably lead to changes in behaviour and attitudes, which can open doors for the future through increasing educational and economical opportunities and strengthening relationships. We can write this as a statement of fact, knowing that it is very likely to be true ? but how can we possibly know for sure? Research into the impact of using the arts for rehabilitation and to prevent recidivism is relatively new. Whilst several important studies have generated evidence to support such claims for the arts, and although the body of evidence supporting the case for the arts has grown significantly over the past ten years, questions remain about the quality of research methods and findings. We can point to many success stories from our own experience; however, the important questions remain ? what are we measuring, and how are we measuring it? Should we use the same tools to measure the arts as are used by the Home Office for their accredited programmes? These types of tools are psychometric and can be seen by offenders as part of ?the system?. I would question whether arts organisations would want to form research findings based on this, for fear of being seen to be The Man. With the Arts Council?s partnership with the Youth Justice Board and the advent of learning skills councils, there is more and more emphasis placed on proving your worth. I suspect that many organisations don?t have a problem with this, and have been proving their worth for many years, but research costs ? it?s a chicken and egg thing; where do we find the money to do the research to prove the value? For instance, a music project running in a female prison may indeed cut the risks of self-harm, thereby leading to better management of prisoners, but it could also have a startling economic effect on the costs of supervising a prisoner on a 2052 (the method used by prisons to monitor) and can, in turn, reduce staff pressures. And, if you find the above description a bit technical and jargonistic, this is an example of how we as arts organisations use completely different language to that used by criminal justice staff. Entering a prison as an outsider with a very different remit can be very effective; it can motivate and engage offenders in ways that staff inside the institution are unable to do because we are not seen as being part of the system. This is all the more reason why we need to be clear how and what we are measuring and also for what ends? Is it for funding? Is it for the age-old recognition of the arts as a transformative tool? Is it to employ the use of the arts as a vehicle for social change? I suspect all of these and more. With the launch of the Arts in Criminal Justice Literature Review, the Anne Peaker Centre will hopefully pose many questions, and offer ways forward on the relevance of this type of research. The Centre is hosting a conference in April to launch this publication and invite organisations to contribute to discussions. Guest speakers include Erwin James (The Guardian) and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Lord Hattersley. The Anne Peaker Centre for Arts in Criminal Justice is the new name for The Unit for the Arts and Offenders. t: 01227 471 006; e: susan@a4offenders.org.uk Doing The Arts Justice ? a major conference for artists, arts organisations, policy makers and those involved in working in the criminal justice system will be held on 6 April at the NCVO Building in London. t: 01227 470692; e: info@a4offenders.org.uk