University News Last updated 16 June 2011
Birmingham City University’s ground breaking work on investigating the impact of the arts on reducing offenders risk of reoffending has been chosen as one of the most important research projects of modern times with the publication today (Thursday 16 June) of the Big Ideas for the Future report.
The report, which is being jointly published by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Universities UK, pulls together the leading research projects currently taking place across UK universities. Research from all fields, including science, social sciences, engineering, the arts and the humanities, were eligible to be included and Birmingham City University’s project was selected for inclusion from hundreds of submissions. The report is narrated and backed by high-profile celebrities such as Professor Lord Robert Winston, Dr Alice Roberts and Professor Iain Stewart.
The project focuses on evaluating a number of arts-based projects with offenders in prison. The research looks at how offenders may be assisted in working towards non-offending futures by improving their engagement with education (poor educational achievement is statistically associated with risk of re-offending), social-skills, and anger management. It is focused on a range of arts projects, including music, art, and drama. The evaluations are on-going, and have been used by the Arts Alliance as evidence in their campaign to highlight the impact of such work with offenders.
Laura Caulfield, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, said: “It is no secret that many offenders re-offend on leaving prison. Prisons aim to reduce individuals’ risk of reoffending through education and other programmes, but often these kinds of formalised courses can seem like a replica of what turned them off education in the first place. Consequently many prisoners are difficult to engage. In contrast to this there is much emerging evidence that suggests arts-based programmes might help re-engage some of these offenders and help lead them into formalised education courses and towards non-offending futures.”
The publication of Big Ideas for the Future forms part of the second annual Universities Week, which takes place from 13-19 June 2011, and aims to increase public awareness of the wide and varied role of the UK’s universities. Universities Week looks at the many different ways in which universities affect all of our lives — from supporting the economy, to working within local communities, to looking at how their research programmes could change our futures. Hundreds of events will be taking place around the country open to members of the public, as well as high-profile media coverage and activity across social media networks.
In addition, Laura’s work on the Good Vibration’s project, ‘Continuing Positive Change in Prison and the Community: an Analysis of the Long-term and Wider Impact of the Good Vibrations Project,’ which specifically looks at the positive effects on prisoners of taking part in music projects in prison has received a commendation by the Howard League for Penal Reform.
To download a full version of the report, please visit http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/bigideas. For more information on Universities Week, visit www.universitiesweek.org.uk and to show your support, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ukuniversities.