Creative Justice blog series
Good Vibrations has worked in prisons and young offender institutions since 2003. We see the destructive effects on people of living within our overstretched, under-resourced criminal justice system. We want to understand how people can be better supported before, during and after their contact with the criminal justice system. We commissioned a series of blogs from a range of experts, including those with lived experience and their families.
Fay, an occupational therapist, and Kieran, a Loophole Music facilitator, talk about one of our secure hospital projects and the impact it has had on one particular service user. Fay: Dean has been in hospital for over ten years.…
January 2022 Author and artist Ruinbow writes for Good Vibrations about their experience of leaving prison during the pandemic. People imagine that being released from prison would be a euphoric moment, but it is actually really stressful. Counterintuitively,…
November 2021 Author: Benjamin Yacoub, Talent Manager at Twisted Passion Ent Entering prison with a lengthy sentence to some is the end of the world. Although many give up and get involved with the drug culture to escape the…
Author and artist Ruinbow writes for Good Vibrations about how he got into art while in prison, his experience of being an art mentor, and his drive to make art accessible for all. I did not take to…
No. 12 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Akin spent the last two years of his criminal sentence in a ‘foreign national’ prison. He moved to the UK from Nigeria as a…
No. 11 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Bruce Houlder, CB QC and Founder of Fighting Knife Crime London It is Everyone’s Responsibility to help a Lost Generation of Young…
No. 10 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Laura Caulfield, researcher in forensic psychology and criminal justice This year marks my twentieth year working as a researcher in forensic psychology…
No. 9 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: BL, resident at HMP Stoke Heath. During the pandemic, we sent creativity packs to prisoners to use in their cells while they were…
No. 8 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Russ Haynes, radio show host and Good Vibrations past participant I often wonder what the purpose of putting someone in prison is.…
No. 7 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Alison Frater, Co-Chair of Clean Break How do we halt the vicious cycle of crime? On the face of it a question…
No. 6 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Chris Atkins, filmmaker, journalist and author Most ex-jailbirds want to quickly forget their time behind bars, but I didn’t have that option.…
‘Hozho is not something you can experience on your own, the eagles tell us as they lock talons in the stratosphere and fall to the earth as one. Hozho is interbeauty.’ Lyla June Johnston – Hozho As a…
No. 5 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Charlotte Wise, Occupational Therapist based at HMP Stoke Heath The role of an occupational therapist can vary depending on the area of…
No. 4 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Sarah Hartley, Operational Lead for Creative Arts and Enrichment at Novus. Novus delivers education, rehabilitation support and opportunity to 60,000 adults and young…
No. 2 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Sara Lee, Artistic Director, Irene Taylor Trust “The purpose of arts education is not to produce more artists, though that is a…
No. 1 in our blog series exploring creative approaches to transforming the criminal justice system. Author: Dave Jeal, Chaplain Can you tell us about your time working as a prison chaplain? I’ve been a chaplain for over 22…
Some thoughts about working for Good Vibrations as a facilitator – Laurence Rugg “Punishment is the last and least effective instrument in the hands of the legislator for the prevention of crime.” John Ruskin (1819 – 1900 art critic…
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