Girls behind bars

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend an Exhibition called “Girls Behind Bars” held in the “Together Our Space Gallery” in Old Street in London. In this current exhibition all the art work, visual and spoken media, was produced by female prisoners or ex-offenders and aims to explore their lives and how the justice system has affected them.

“Together” is a national charity which works alongside people who have mental health issues. They aspire to “a world where each individual can play their part in breaking down the barriers that exist around mental health through ignorance and lack of understanding”.
Together run a specialist service for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system and are known for their campaign for positive change. This is especially important as more than 70% of the prison population has two or more mental health disorders and female prisoners are 35 times more likely than women in general. For prisoners, finding a way to open up and express their feelings and communicate this with the outside world is a huge step forward.

Now you may ask why I say I was “lucky” to be able to see this inspiring exhibition. I am presently a serving offender, working in the community to give something back to the community. So for me, this exhibition had two meanings. Firstly, I could really relate to the work that had been created as I understood the environment that the women are in and know how difficult it can be to express your feelings and survive the challenges. Secondly, I now appreciate things I previously would have found at the bottom of my list of things to do, work and earning money were always far more important in the past and never gave me any time to be creative.

It is amazing how a few words or a picture drawn with feeling can “paint a thousand words”. I found the work on display gave the viewing public a peek into the varied experiences of women in the justice system: some bad, some not so bad and some downright awful, especially if they are suffering from mental health issues. I have seen the effects of poor mental health on the female population in prison and this is often just one of many problems affecting them.

Inside Job Productions, where I currently work as a Production Trainee had a short animation in the exhibition, created by girls from a Young Offenders Institute in Brighton. I was very proud to see what they had produced. The work they created showed real understanding of the mistakes they had made and could have been avoided. It was an educational and informative presentation, which I don’t believe would have had the same impact if it was only in a written form. It proves that creative communication can educate and inform a wider population. From a personal point of view, I have been able to use artwork and media as a medium to fuse together all my previous interests and it has given me a “new voice” and increased self esteem.

Written by DM

Inside Job Productions recognised with two gongs at International Communication Ceremony

Inside Job Productions (IJP), a London based production company making ‘great films with a purpose’, have been crowned proud winners of two Bronze prizes at the World’s largest and most prestigious celebration of the best in corporate and public sector communication, the IVCA 2011 Awards.

Competing with the cream of the crop in corporate film making, IJP’s Managing Director Naomi Delap said “IJP’s resounding success illustrates that big budgets are not an essential necessity in making great films with impact”. A small social enterprise, IJP’s films get to the heart of important issues in informative and stylish productions that rival the big boys of the production world. And with all the company's profits going to fund projects that use media to empower isolated communities and an innovative training programme for serving prisoners, IJP shows that great businesses can also make a great social contribution.

Now in their 23rd year, the IVCA (International Visual and Communications Association) awards were established to recognize effective corporate and public sector communications in video, interactive projects, business television and digital media. Recognised internationally as a premier mark of excellence in communication circles, winning two Bronze IVCA award is testament to IJP’s wonderful talent and celebrates the power of communication to only entertain, but also to educate and inspire people to make positive change.

‘Better Drug Treatment in Prison’ - an evocative five minute animation created for the National Treatment Agency directed by Graham Clayton-Chance - won bronze in the Best Animation, Graphic and Special Effects category. Nominated alongside corporate giant Nokia, this beautiful short illustrates the immense power and impact of creative social enterprise to communicate messages that are often difficult to portray in mainstream media. Through the words of offenders, this original and imaginative short follows the personal stories of three users and the incredible support they received in their battle to kick their habit.

‘Making a Fresh Start’, an educational film for offenders, directed by Ed McGown and starring Joe Simms and Angus Brown won bronze for the Best Drama award. This film allows offenders to understand what positive steps can be taken to ensure a life beyond bars is not a life plighted with financial horrors. A hard-hitting and humourous film that brings to life explicit messages often lost in traditional communication strategies. ‘Making a Fresh Start’ demonstrates the impact of media in empowering isolated communities.

Commenting on IJP’s double success, Marco Forgione, IVCA Chief Executive said: “Congratulations to IJP for their innovative and much deserved award-winning entries. The judges were impressed by the high calibre of skills, originality and expertise displayed.” He added that they’d described “Making a Fresh Start” as “a relevant and memorable film.”

ENDS 11:00 am 28th March 2011

Contact: Beverley Morrison 020 70332171

Written by: Gail Wilson

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Notes to Editor:

For further information about the production of ‘Better Drug Treatment in Prison’ or ‘Making a Fresh Start’ display please contact:

Beverley Morrison, Acting Managing Director
beverleym@insidejobproductions.co.uk 020 70332170

Ann Summerhayes, Production Coordinator
anns@insidejobproductions.co.uk 020 70332170

• Inside Job Productions is a unique film production company with a twist. Not only does IJP make great films with a purpose, but 100% of profits are channelled directly into funding not-for-profit projects aimed at empowering isolate communities through media. http://www.insidejobproductions.org.uk/who_we_are

• Media for Development, is IJP’s parent social enterprise who utilise different media projects to reach, engage and empower isolated communities throughout the UK and internationally. For current list of projects contact Christy McAleese, Development Manager on christym@mediafordevelopment.org.uk 0207 0332170

• ‘Better Drug Treatment in Prison’ was produced in collaboration with National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, a National Health Service (NHS) Special Authority established to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of drug treatment in England. http://www.nta.nhs.uk/. To watch the film visit: http://www.insidejobproductions.org.uk/our_work

• ICVA Awards took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on the evening of Friday 25th March 2011. The ICVA awards celebrate creativity and effectiveness in Film, Interactive Media, CD-Rom, Websites and Production Arts and gives out more than 30 awards annually. http://www.ivca.org/award-schemes/ivca-awards/about-awards.html

Art through prison bars

Yesterday we attended the opening of Art by Offenders: Secure Patients and Detainees, the 2010 Koestler Awards exhibition. With a panel of curators wholly made up of victims of crime, the 2010 exhibition has an interesting twist to previous years, echoing the move to restorative justice across the sector. The commitment to arts was reiterated by MP Crispin Blunt in his opening speech where he also confirmed the government’s continuing support of the role of the arts in the Criminal Justice sector.

A presentation by the seven curators explored their various reasons for selecting the exhibited work, ranging from personal associations to an appreciation of the aesthetic and technical value of the pieces. Mirroring this, two award winning ex-offender artists spoke about what having their work recognised publicly meant to them.

For both the curators and the artists on the panel, the process of selection or creation of the work formed a key role in overcoming various issues. One curator commented “I came to realise although my family were victims of crime, these people [prisoners] are also victims of society.”

Rebecca who recently graduated with a BTEC in Media Production from The Media House, HMP Downview won the Roger Graef Platinum Award for her film Stuck in the System. She reiterated the importance of gaining education and qualifications whilst in prison and the positive difference that being involved in a project made to how she felt about life after prison.

The Inside Job Production Training Scheme works with offenders nearing the end of their sentence who join the company on day release for a period of four months. The scheme aims to provide valuable confidence and life skills enabling trainees to more effectively bridge the gap between release and rehabilitation.  At IJP, the process that we see our trainees go through from the beginning to the end of their placements is one that has a profound affect, both on their self esteem and perception, and their determination and attitude towards rehabilitation.  

Ann Summerhayes & Louise Brown, IJP

To view a short film of a day in the life of one of IJP's production trainees, click here

Can Social Enterprises deliver to the public sector?

IJP featured as example of best practice in Social Enterprise delivery to public sector services

IJP has been hailed as one of the organisations that successfully works as a Social Enterprise to deliver services to the criminal justice sector. With more focus on delivering efficiencies and increasing the social impacts of public sector services, IJP's latest film for the NTA is a strong example of how innovative social enterprise solutions can play an important part in the Big Society concept highlighted by Crispin Blunt:

'As part of the 'Big Society' we want to encourage charities and social enterprise groups as well as the private sector to apply their enthusiasm and expertise to turning around more and more lives and preventing future victims.'

To read the full article click here

Addressing stereotypes

Last week we visited the Hot Tap Theatre to see the latest play from Dean Stalham, an ex-offender with a fascinating life story who has used his experience before and during his time in prison to inspire writing that has been showcased at The Union, The ICA, The Hen and Chickens and the Orange Tree.

His latest work, God Don’t Live on a Council Estate, plays on largely autobiographical themes and features the harrowing tale of Danny Boy, a man who has lost his wife to suicide and is increasingly confused by the circumstances leading up to it.  Returning after an extended break abroad he visits his grandfather (Dudley Sutton), a notorious rogue whose tyrannical presence is felt and known throughout the estate in which he lives and from whom he feels pressure to continue the corrupt line of command. As the story unravels, we become aware of the complicated circumstances that have led to the strange dynamic between Danny Boy, his late wife and his best friend. A web of manipulation, sexual abuse and struggle for power unfolds and Danny is left to face the devastating truth about the past.

The play is interesting in both its clever interweaving of the multiple themes that are so prevalent across the criminal justice system and in the refreshing accuracy with which the acting portrays those themes. We know through our own experience of the IJP Production Training Scheme that these issues are common when working with service users across the sector, and Stalham’s depiction of them is yet another striking example of how the media can be used to demonstrate, educate and communicate in a way that is not possible via traditional means.

The new community interest company that Stalham has established, Art Saves Lives, is dedicated to finding space for and giving a platform to any artist, writer or musician that is for whatever reason marginalised by society. With the aim of raising awareness of the talents and passions for the arts that exist from within the margins, the company works to break down doors and disseminate stereotypes. For anyone not already exposed to the issues raised in God Don’t Live on a Council Estate, it is impactful enough to do just that -making the audience question the standard assumptions about a very specific world by representing it from an insider's point of view.  When overcoming stereotypes, illustrating the general through the specific is a powerful and effective tool and at IJP we firmly believe that media, whether it's film, theatre or otherwise, has the capacity to do this in groundbreaking ways.

Louise Brown, Inside Job Productions

The IJP Production Training Scheme is designed for offenders nearing the end of their sentence, providing valuable work experience in an engaging media environment.  The scheme helps to re-engage trainees with the work environment and build vital confidence skills,  aiding the difficult transition from release to resettlement.

Participatory digital development – my start at Media For Development

Although I've only been at Media for Development for a week, I can already see the potential for digital innovation to boost MFD's mission. I hope that a mashup of my background in web & social change and Media for Development's experience of participatory media will produce some pioneering ways to empower marginalised communities. So here's a snapshot of my thinking about where to go and how to get there.

My starting point is the way Media for Development uses participatory media to help transform people's lives. As a digital guy, this seems to me like a good match for the 'maker' meme - people participating in building their own stuff and their own solutions to problems. To my mind, a good starting point for MFD digital projects would be co-creation and the kind of co-design promoted by @thinkpublic and @wearesnook. This can by carried through the technical side of digital projects by appropriating agile development - the tech project methodology that iterates in small stages, keeping the project close to the users and allowing it to adapt as new issues and opportunities emerge.

At the other end, the digital scene is a wellspring of questions about impact and ROI, as embodied by Measurement Camp. The visibilising of social connections that's embedded in the social web makes social network analysis a way in to measuring impact, especially around ideas of social capital. And I expect Social Return On Investment (SROI) will be a useful way to pin numbers to our projects in a way that aligns with MFD's values. Of course, the most powerful way to convey impact is to hear from people themselves and MFD is already expert in the power of narrative.

One of the biggest challenges that faces MFD or anyone trying to build peer to peer support is the investment of time and resources it can take to get self-generating momentum in an online community. My first ideas about tactics is to start with stuff that's simple and useful, and can be applied immediately in people's lives. There were some good examples of this at Jailbrake an event that applied the Social Innovation Camp approach to making web & mobile services for young people caught up in the criminal justice system. For example, we heard that even a simple text reminder at the right moment can make a difference by helping someone with a fairly chaotic lifestyle make it to their probation appointments.

As one of the founders of Social Innovation Camp, I'd say its approach has a natural fit with media for Development and I'm expecting to draw a lot on @sicamp contacts and experience as I go forward with projects here, including the aim of making enterprises not just projects i.e. innovations that can find a way to be sustainable instead of petering out when the initial funding fades away.

But no statement about strategy would be compete without a 2 by 2 matrix :) so here's mine for MFD-Digital: with communities along one axis and digital along the other, we start with the communities that MFD knows well (e.g. people with experience of prison) and the tech that has already been successful (like the online community of Savvy Chavvy. Innovation on the communities axis means new hard to reach groups, and MFD already has plans to work with military veterans, and with young dad's who are in danger of being excluded from parenthood. Innovation on the digital axis has some straightforward starting points, like mobile and mapping: i've been inspired by the potential of open street mapping to catalyse community mobilisation, and i've already met with frontlinesms to look at ways that toolset can help overcome the digital divide here in the UK. In the future we may convene sicamp / crisis camp style events to catalyse unexpected digital innovations.

At the end of the day, though, it's not about tech but about the potential of digital to enable transformation; a change in people's lives and ultimately in themselves. And, perhaps, in those of us doing this work. I look forward to reporting irregularly on this journey.

Dan McQuillan joins MFD as Head of Digital

Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train

Having been lucky enough to score tickets to 'Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train's matinee show at Trafalgar Studios, a couple of us from IJP got the opportunity to be treated to a wonderful theatrical experience.   The production, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and brought to life by Synergy Theatre Projects, was expertly performed under the direction of Esther Baker and a team of fine actors – some of whom were ex-offenders.

The prison drama explored the lives of two prisoners – Lucius & Angel - as they battled with their conscience, the crimes committed, and the possibilities of salvaging their souls through faith in God. The show throws open the doors to questions surrounding the criminal justice system and its failures, as well as the internal battle that rages in prisoners, lawyers and prison staff as they interact with each other and the system. Overall, the performances were phenomenal with dialogues tailored to make one laugh out loud and reflect at the same time.

More importantly, taking a step back from the plot and the hard-hitting dialogues, the show reinforces the value that artistic approaches can have in giving life to serious and often dry topics such as rehabilitation and the criminal justice system prompting dialogue amongst audiences and ex-offenders. And it can have consequences beyond the stage. One of the main aims of the Synergy Theatre Projects is to work with ex-offenders and turn them into exceptional actors, so they are providing prisoners with a way to ease back into life outside prison thus potentially contributing to a reduction in re-offending rates. IJP has a similar scheme where we train offenders & ex-offenders interested in the production aspects of film-making as well as equipping them with the skills required to confidently move forward.

Communication via creative avenues such as film and theatre creates opportunities not only to entertain, but also to inspire educate and question – in this case, it gave voice to the lives, thoughts and battles of all those interacting with the criminal justice system in different capacities. Anyone else seen great examples of the use of creative mediums that prompt discussions about the criminal justice system?

Vineetha A. George, Marketing Assistant, Inside Job Productions

Jailbrake

A few months ago NESTA and the people at Social Innovation Camp launched the Jailbreak challenge. They wanted to know if simple web and mobile tools that we use everyday could be used to divert young people from the criminal justice system and break the cycle of reoffending.

At Media for Development we are always thinking about what makes ‘good’ communication; this isn’t just what font to use on a poster or how long your mailing list is, its about creating tools and campaigns that can empower and mobilise people by providing effective and relevant information. One problem that had us scratching our heads is the disconnect between young people and local services; on the one hand you have young people saying there is no support offered when they are in trouble and on the other you have brilliant local services with dedicated staff saying that young people don’t come to them for help when then need it. What could we use to overcome this problem?

We’ve done a lot of work with young people and have to spend a long time convincing them to turn off their mobile phones. That got us thinking. There are surveys that show young people would rather go without new clothes than give up their mobiles. Scare stories that the shape of their thumbs are changing because they text so much… could we take this love of mobiles and somehow use it to connect young people and local services?

That's how the idea for Lost and Found was born! – an SMS service that would enable young people to locate local services relevant to the issues they face. All they need to do is text help, select the issue they are facing e.g. drugs and alcohol and, and with a little technical magic, they would get a text back telling them where to go locally to get help.

We submitted the idea to Jailbrake and they decided it would be one of six ideas that would be developed over the course of the Jailbreak weekend. Working with other social entrepreneurs, criminal justice practitioners and technical boffins we would have 48 hours to make a working model!

Saturday 9am sharp, we were off. Our team, fuelled by croissants and strong coffee began brainstorming all the features Lost and Found could have, while the technical folk told us whether it was possible to do. This way of working was brilliant: called Agile Design by those in the know, it basically means that you get everyone – stakeholders, designers, practitioners – together in one room and talk about what you what to achieve, then the designers work out how to make it happen and set about building a prototype.

By the next day, bleary eyed but very excited, we had a working text message system! I could send a text from my phone asking about a particular problem and a few seconds later a text came back telling where the nearest, open support service was including a map, telephone number and short description. This was great. Imagine a young person who is having problems with alcohol; they know they need help but don’t know where to find it. They don’t want to use the internet because they are embarrassed and their computer is shared with brothers, sisters and parents. Within a couple of minutes and no more that three texts, they can get the information they need, only using their own private mobile phone.

We demonstrated Lost in Found in front of a judging panel including representative from the Youth Justice Board and the Prison Reform Trust. The moment of truth came when we got the entire room (well the ones we could get off Twitter for a few seconds) to text ‘help’ to Lost and Found and get information back… a few seconds of deathly silence… followed by beeps and chirps all over the room as the system began to work!

We were absolutely elated as the weekend ended. We had proved that Lost and Found could work and the judging panel agreed, awarding us second place over all. Although the weekend is finished, Lost and Found is not.  We are now thinking about how to scale it up and roll it out so young people can access the support they need, wherever and whenever.    

Christy McAleese works as Office Manager for IJP and project manager at Media for Development.   

IJP’s income helps to fund the development of projects that empower isolated communities through media, many of which stem from extensive experience in the criminal justice and wider third sectors.

   

‘More fool us’

“Using comedy to explore mental health issues? That’s crazy!” I hear you exclaim, fully aware of the bad pun.

That’s what I am working on with IJP for Southside Partnership, a mental health charity that works with a lot with ex-offenders and prisoners with severe mental health issues.The project is multi-faceted, combining a promotional film for Southside (completed late last year), a live performance by a comedian in Downview prison, plus a DVD of that performance intercut with “behind the scenes” footage, including interviews with comedian John Ryan and focus groups conducted at four Surrey prisons.

Thankfully, I have one of the easier jobs. I am creating a narrative, telling the story of John’s journey to find out about mental health issues in prisons. John, on the other hand, has to make it funny! I will be interested to see how he does that in the final performance. My guess is that he will focus on the absurdities of prison life – of which there are many – and tell some of the stories he has heard in focus groups about what prisoners do on a day-to-day level in order to get through their sentence. I’m expecting a bitter-sweet show.

Shooting inside prisons has a number of challenges, many of which we have faced so far on this project, and there may be more to come! The main challenge is getting permission to film inside a prison. Even for a company like Inside Job Productions, with a long track record of this kind of work, in addition to Southside, who go into prisons all the time, we have had stumbling blocks from prison bureaucracies in terms of gaining entry. Luckily a history of experience in how to negotiate such hurdles helps us navigate the many layers of management in a prison, ensuring we’re doing everything that we need to in order to secure the shoot.

The other element is the shoot itself, as one rarely has complete control over the location. Shooting schedules have to work around the prison schedules, there is limited time to prepare a room/location for filming and there is almost nothing you can do about the noise – a working prison is going to be noisy so you just have to accept it and hope you have a good sound recordist!

But with challenges come creative solutions. I find that, in all filmmaking, there are obstacles and blocks, people who tell you what you CAN’T do, which just makes you think more laterally about what you CAN do. Plan A on this project has already fallen through, so we’re on to Plan B and also have Plans C&D in reserve, just in case. However it happens, we’re going to make an interesting film.

Charlotte George, Producer/Director, Inside Job Productions

Being a production trainee at IJP

I first started working for Inside Job Productions three days before my 26th birthday, and found myself feeling more like an 18 year old just leaving school. I was so nervous, terrified of talking to and being around people I didn't know. For the last ten months I'd only had to talk to people I knew, and if I didn't know them I knew where they were coming from, they were in the same place as me.

Quicker than I thought I got used to being out in the world and doing normal things, which helped my confidence and self-esteem immensely. Also being in an organisation that was sympathetic to my background really helped. I did loads of different jobs, from basic things like answering the phone and sorting the post to helping out on shoots and even filming and editing.

After being at IJP for six months I got a temp job as an admin assistant and I found it difficult not being able to be open about my past. Although I didn't have any problems with my confidence I didn't relly feel comfortable. I feel a lot happier where I am now, at Clean Break, as they're an organisation that's also sympathetic to people with experience of the criminal justice system. My experience at IJP has helped me in so many ways, I wouldn't have even heard about the job at Clean Break, let alone got it!

Verity LaRoche, Production Trainee, Inside Job Productions