UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 15 APRIL 2014
Birmingham City University has entered into an exciting partnership with G4S and HMP Birmingham, and have developed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, that will provide excellent research and study opportunities for Birmingham City University psychology students.
HMP Birmingham made headlines in 2010 when it historically became the first UK prison to be completely transferred from Home Office rule to the private sector.
The collaboration between the two partners will allow students on the accredited BSc Psychology and MSc Forensic Psychology courses to develop better research links and undertake more projects involving offenders, prison officers and the wider criminal justice system at large. Some psychology students have already visited the prison as part of their first semester of activities on their programmes.
The link will also allow G4S to undertake their own internal research projects, specialist training and needs analysis with methodological support and ethical guidance from university academics.
Professor Fiona Church, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Law and Social Sciences (ELSS) at Birmingham City University said: "This arrangement will no doubt provide challenges and opportunities to both partner institutions that will ultimately contribute to the quality of the student experience, as well as increasing our valuable research outputs and knowledge base. This local community partnership echoes the successful relationship developed previously between the Faculty of ELSS and HMP Grendon in Buckinghamshire".
Professor Craig Jackson, Head of the Psychology Division at Birmingham City University said: "The challenges faced by HMP Birmingham and the wider current prison system are important to Birmingham, to the local population, the prison staff, the families of the men inside, and the students who are studying in this city, and we are looking at the many ways we can provide useful help to HMP Birmingham while at the same time learning from what they do best too".