Arts Council England response to the Lammy Review of BAME representation in the Criminal Justice System: call for evidence

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1 Arts Council England response to the Lammy Review of BAME representation in the Criminal Justice System: call for evidence June 2016 Introduction Arts Council England welcomes this review into why people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are over-represented at most stages of the criminal justice system including how they are dealt with and seeking to identify any differences in treatment/outcome which need to be addressed. This is a much needed and important review which will no doubt look at the many inter-related reasons why people from BAME backgrounds are over-represented in the criminal justice system, including the impact of institutional racism and socioeconomic background as key influences on life chances. Therefore, tackling institutional racism and promoting equality of opportunity, particularly in education and employment should play a key part in addressing the over-representation of people from a BAME background in the criminal justice system. Arts Council England has placed diversity at the centre of all we do, making it a key issue for our funded organisations in their programming and audiences, leadership and workforce and in recognising the artistic and creative opportunities and potential offered by diversity called the Creative Case for Diversity. As such, we are currently investing in programmes to diversify the sector s leadership and workforce and have created opportunities to bring forward diverse talent through paid internships and apprenticeships that are accessible to unemployed young people aged between 16 and 24, many from a BAME background. We work closely with the National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice (NAACJ) and value their role in bringing together all organisations engaged in this area of work. We therefore fully support their response to this review and their drive to nationally advance equality and diversity, along with looking at ways to diversify the workforce. At their recent conference on Bringing People together: diversity, arts and criminal justice, our Diversity Director, Abid Hussain, spoke about Arts Council England s work in this area. We support many arts and culture organisations working with young people at risk of offending, young offenders and people in the criminal justice system and we would make the following response:

2 Arts Council England Recommendation: 1. That the full value of arts and culture is recognised and taken into account as a key factor in reducing offending and re-offending rates and improving rehabilitation outcomes, including for young people at risk and adults and young people in the criminal justice system from BAME backgrounds. Also, to consider the growing evidence that young people s engagement with arts and culture has a knock on impact on their wider social and civic participation and can contribute to community cohesion and reduce social exclusion and isolation 2. That more monitoring and evaluation of the impact of arts and culture in the criminal justice system is undertaken in relation to people from BAME backgrounds 3. That there is closer working with Arts Council England, the National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice, the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to: a. build on best practice of arts and culture provision in the criminal justice system to improve the experiences and outcomes for all, bearing in mind the over-representation of those from a BAME background and the importance of recognising, valuing and incorporating different cultural experiences b. support a more formalised approach to deliver arts and culture provision throughout the criminal justice system c. promote the Artsmark Award within the youth justice system About Arts Council England Arts Council England s mission is 'great art and culture for everyone'. We work to achieve this by championing, developing and investing in arts and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives, enabling new artistic developments, realising talent, and championing culture in public policy. As the national development agency for the arts, museums and libraries, we support a range of activities from theatre to music, reading to dance, photography to digital art, carnival to crafts. We support and invest in high quality arts practice and the best emerging practitioners whom we believe are the backbone of a dynamic creative economy. Between 2015 and 2018, Arts Council England will invest 1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated 700 million from the National Lottery in arts and culture to help create experiences for as many people as possible across the country. 2

3 Arts Council England has long been engaged in supporting arts provision with people in the criminal justice system and young people in the youth justice system. In looking at the over-representation of people from a BAME background in the criminal justice system, it is important to also look at actions and initiatives that can have a positive impact on the lives of young people from all backgrounds. Therefore, our work with young people in schools and other youth-centred environments in experiencing the richness of the arts can encourage positive behaviour and increase a young person s self-esteem and skills. Arts Council England invests in a number of organisations, projects and research involving people in the criminal justice system from a BAME background, some of which are outlined in this paper, where arts interventions have a positive impact and can help to reduce offending and re-offending. Our National Portfolio Organisations 1 include Geese Theatre, the Koestler Trust, Clean Break, Borderlines, Belgrade Theatre amongst others who focus on positive engagement through the arts with vulnerable people and those in the criminal justice system. We also use our Grants for the arts 2 funding stream and specific programmes to invest in this area of work. Developing how we measure the effects of arts intervention in preventing and reducing re-offending is an important field of research. Arts Council England has funded research projects to increase our knowledge and understanding about the impact of arts and culture in different areas and one of these is to Unitas for a three year project with the Law School from University of Derby, to investigate the impact of art and culture on young people aged in the youth justice sector. Therefore, Arts Council England fully recognises and values the need to continue this area of research. We are also pleased that the DCMS pays tribute to this work in their Culture White Paper which highlights the many good examples of how cultural interventions can benefit prisoners, ex-offenders and people at risk of becoming involved in crime and where they confirm their commitment to working with Arts Council England and others to ensure that offenders and those at risk continue to benefit from cultural opportunities. The following examples look at programmes and projects which support young people at school and in the community, young people at risk of offending, through to those in the youth justice system and the criminal justice system. 1 Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations /national-portfolio-organisations 2 Arts Council England Grants for the Arts 3 Department for Culture, Media and Sport Culture White Paper

4 Arts Council England funded projects supporting young people in school and the community, young people at risk of offending and people in the youth justice and criminal justice systems: Arts Council England invests over 29m in projects and initiatives that use arts and culture to provide young people with the support and help they need to succeed, overcome barriers and become active citizens. The arts are well placed to engage with people in the criminal justice system. They are also able to demonstrate a strong track record in efforts to prevent crime, inspiring some of the most vulnerable and hard to reach young people by providing personal insight and skills that can bring about lasting changes in behaviour. Arts Council England support organisations who can offer valuable support in communication, expression and in building soft skills which can, in turn, be linked to very favourable outcomes and we prioritise the importance of working with diverse groups in all that we do. Arts Council England also invests over 2.5m in initiatives which address crime and crime related problems or offending behaviour. This can involve local partnerships with organisations engaged in crime prevention strategies and community safety. The recent MoJ review of prison education by Dame Sally Coates, Unlocking Potential, May 2016 also supports arts provision in the criminal justice system. She states that, Many prisoners will have previously had unsatisfactory experiences of the classroom. They will need encouragement and support to take their first learning steps. This should include greater provision of high quality creative arts provision and Personal and Social Development (PSD) courses. Both improve self-knowledge, develop self-confidence and therefore help tackle reoffending. Artsmark Artsmark is Arts Council s high profile award that encourages schools, FE Colleges and Youth Offending teams to support, celebrate, develop and embed cultural education across their provision. Artsmark plays a pivotal role in the Cultural Education Challenge by providing a framework for schools to deliver high quality opportunities for their pupils to create, compose, perform; visit, experience, participate; know, understand and review in the classroom. Awarded by Arts Council England, designed by schools, Artsmark helps schools deliver a high quality arts and cultural education and provide an excellent way to demonstrate this. Since launching in October 2015, almost 1500 schools have registered and there is a large cohort of special schools, including 22 pupil referral units who are 4

5 often working with young people with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties. UNITAS 4 are delivering a pilot to align the Artsmark award to the needs of the youth justice sector in order to propose a youth justice Artsmark award model. Artsmark for YOTs will be rolled out through the 25 Summer Arts Colleges in the summer of 2016 (further details below). We believe that Artsmark has made an impact in the youth justice system and we already have the structure and systems in place to contribute towards improving the life chances and educational attainment of young people in the youth justice system and would therefore recommend that the Artsmark award is considered as a key tool for working with young people in the youth justice system. Summer Arts Colleges (SACs) Summer Arts Colleges (SACs) is a strategic partnership between the Youth Justice Board and Arts Council England which started in 2006 The Summer Arts College programme is an intensive, full time programme offered over the summer holiday period, intended for high risk young people, particularly those on Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS) and recently released from custody. The specific objectives of the Summer Arts Colleges are to: Reduce levels of (re)offending during the summer Arts College and in the following months Increase educational engagement and facilitate transition into mainstream education, training and employment after the Summer Arts College Improve literacy and numeracy skills through the arts and to achieve an accreditation through the Arts Award The Summer Arts Colleges report positive outcomes in relation to: increased literacy and numeracy skills three months following the programme; re-engagement in education, training and employment three months following the programme; and short and long term reduction in the levels and severity of offending over a one year period. The evaluation also provides indications that for some young people engagement in the arts could influence motivation and re-engagement with education, training and employment as a result of improved socio-cognitive skills and that these effects appeared to be long lasting and associated with later reductions in reoffending. 4 UNITAS is a national charity that helps young people access, participate and progress in mainstream education and training 5

6 New Art Exchange Get up Stand up project The New Art Exchange Get Up Stand Up project funded by Arts Council England works with young people at school and in the community. They look at themes of migration, oppression, international civil rights (from the 50s onwards) and the justice system. Working with a team of artists, theatre makers, musicians and digital artists young people are inspired to create music, stories, digital and art work to express their thoughts and views through words and voices. The Galleries of Justice Museum based at Shire Hall in Nottingham works with the New Art Exchange on the project with the aim of making history more appealing to young people today. All the youth groups involved are diverse and include young people from different backgrounds. The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry have established eight youth theatre groups including Asian Youth Theatre and Black Youth Theatre and the theatre s work is supported by the Arts Council through the national portfolio. They run weekly sessions for young people aged 8 to 16 years and the Asian and Black Youth Theatres offer the opportunity to develop skills in theatre techniques, including acting, singing, dancing, writing and directing. Working with a professional creative team, the youth theatre members create original productions which give a voice to the experiences of individuals and communities living in Coventry. As well as developing skills which are valuable for a career in theatre, the Youth Theatre groups also equips young people with transferable skills the ability to communicate, to work as part of a team, to work independently, to problem solve and to think creatively. A recent performance by the Belgrade Asian Youth Theatre was Somewhere to Belong, produced in collaboration with Vamos, one of the UK s leading producers of masked theatre. The production shone a spotlight on radicalisation amongst young British Muslims living in the UK today. RJC Dance, Chapeltown Leeds RJC Dance is the leading inclusive Black dance organisation in the North. RJC Dance youth provision is based in Chapeltown Leeds. Youth and education work is at the heart of RJC Dance. They provide work placements, mentoring and residential opportunities for young people. Social inclusion sits alongside a creative agenda, with referrals from social services, education, Youth Offending Teams, youth service and other voluntary organisations. Through this programme of work, young people 6

7 have the opportunity to become the choreographers, dance artists and creative leaders of the future. Borderlines, Stoke on Trent & North Staffordshire The New Vic Theatre is of the Arts Council s National Portfolio Organisations. Our support has helped take Borderlines to the wider local community. The programme works with people from a range of backgrounds who feel they are on the sidelines of society because of their age, ethnicity, mental health, gender or sexuality. They work with young people, many from BAME backgrounds who are facing challenges - social and economic disadvantage, at risk of offending and adults with learning difficulties and at risk of being marginalised. They offer a network of support and challenge preconceptions surrounding race, forced marriage and crime. Partners have included: British Crime Concern, Crown Prosecution Service and National Association for Youth Justice. The programme has won a British Community Safety Award for achievements in helping to reduce crime. Good Vibrations Arts Council England supports Good Vibrations, to help prisoners, patients in secure hospitals, ex-prisoners and others in the community to develop crucial life and work skills. They do this through participating in intensive Gamelan (Indonesian bronze percussion orchestra) courses. Research has shown that their courses have helped improve relationships with peers, staff and family members; increase engagement with other constructive activities e.g. education and other Offending Behaviour Programmes and improve a sense of well-being and calm. They have worked in many prisons including Brixton, Broadmoor, Leeds, Dartmoor, Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre, Holloway, Leeds, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs. Finding Rhythms Arts Council England is one of the funders of Finding Rhythms, an intensive 36-hour music project in prisons led by some of the UK s top touring artists, resulting in a professionally produced album of music. During the course participants experience work in a professional environment; work cooperatively as a team with people from different backgrounds and mother tongues; learn respect and the power of commitment; learn to put egos second and have a chance to communicate difficult messages to their families and to the outside world. The impact of the course is extremely positive and 96% have passed with a BTEC certificate in employability skills. 7

8 Geese Theatre Company Geese Theatre Company creates and presents interactive theatre and facilitates drama-based group-work, staff training and consultation for the probation service, prisons, young offender institutions, youth offending teams, secure hospitals and related agencies throughout the UK and abroad. They work with some of the most diverse populations in the UK. Themes such as substance misuse, self-harm, suicide, violent behaviour, prison visits and the importance of maintaining family connections, preparing for release, breaking the cycle of offending (targeted towards female prisoners), and domestic abuse (targeted toward male prisoners.). They also deliver training work for artists and professionals within the CJS. Whilst this training is not specifically around BAME issues, it is often around how professionals engage with people sensitively. Arts as a tool to engage has been shown to break down barriers and give people the opportunity to benefit through self-expression in a way that encompasses cultural background and experiences. Arts provision in the criminal justice system has often helped to challenge stereotypes and low expectations and to build and promote selfconfidence and self-esteem. All of these Arts Council England supported programmes and projects highlight the important role of the current arts provision in the criminal justice system and illustrate the variety and depth of the valuable work being done to support offenders, ex-offenders and young people at risk of offending, including many people from a BAME background. In supporting this review Arts Council England would be happy to share our vast experiences of engaging with people in the criminal justice system and youth justice system through the arts which has been shown to have a positive impact on reducing offending and re-offending rates and improved rehabilitation outcomes for all, including those from BAME backgrounds who are over-represented in the criminal and youth justice systems. We would therefore call on the Ministry of Justice to review our response and support the recommendations summarised in this paper. Collette Cork-Hurst - Senior Officer, Equality & Diversity Arts Council England 8