Actionwork® in the Criminal Justice System

Actionwork® has over 35-years experience of working within the Criminal Justice System both in the UK and abroad. Theatre projects have included Belmarsh Prison (the first ever theatre company to work succesfully in Belmarsh), Codlea Penitentiary (Romanian high security prison), Broodmoor Hospital (with Geese Theatre Company) and the Inner London Probation Service (ILPS).

Actionwork® has put together a 12-week creative programme especially for prisons both in the UK and abroad. This 12-week programme can focus on a variety of topics including:

  • Anti Bullying
  • Sexual Offenders
  • Communication and life skills
  • Empathy and positive behavioural change
  • Dealing with stress, triggers and emotions

Each creative programme lasts for 12-weeks, which during that time, there is time to facilitate growth, self-expression, self-awareness, while improving mental health, insights into ourselves and understanding. During the 12-week programme, participants will:

  • Express suppressed emotions in a constructive manner
  • Gain insight into their behaviour and its impact on others
  • Develop empathy and understanding
  • Learn new ways to cope with stress and triggers
  • Build a sense of community and support amongst peers

Activities

Activities include mask work, attachment activities, transitional objects and theatre performance. Sessions are fun, creative, interactive and drama based. The prisoners are involved in all aspects of the creative programme including script writing, prop-making, set-building, rehearsals and performance. The primary objective is to provide participants with a safe and supportive environment to explore their emotions, develop empathy and aquire new coping strategies.

Outputs

This programme is reccommended for a group of 12-inmate participants. During the 12-week programme, with the guidance and supervision of the Actionwork team, these participants will explore the chosen topic, write a play-script and a workshop outline, explore issues, create costumes, props and a set, rehearse the play and perform the play to a selected audience from the prison population, staff, friends and family. They will also input into a resource booklet that will be given to the prison. After the 12-weeks, the group may use their workshop ands show for furthger performances and workshops that they could deliver/perform to other prison groups showcasing best-practice and creative collaboration.

Actionwork points out that these hugely beneficial and transformational creative projects not only help the prison service by reducing recidivism, they also have a huge positive impact on the participants themselves. All the activities are designed and developed specifically to assist the positive transformation of people who find themselves in the criminal justice system.

As an example, at the core of these programmes is Social Theatre. This means that the participants will be creating characters, rehearsing them and performing as them on stage. Developing and playing a character means that people learn new parts of themselves which can bring about positive change.

Booking Actionwork creative projects in your prison

Please contact us to discuss your needs and your programme. You are a phone call or an email away from making life-changing positive changes to your prison, your prison staff and your prisoners.

 

 

 

Feedback on Actionwork

Here is a selection of comments from teachers and students:

Read an independent evaluation of Actionwork®