Connections in the UK
By Mary Stephenson (profile)

Connections is based on the Changing Lives Through Literature model.

Background

The Writers in Residence in Prison Scheme was started in 1992 through a joint initiative by Arts Council England and the Home Office. Residencies are partnerships, with the writer working alongside and in conjunction with prisons, probation departments, psychologists, and educational and library staff. It is now core-funded by Arts Council England and the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit. In 1998, the Writers in Prison Network Ltd. was contracted to run the scheme on behalf of Arts Council England and the Home Office. Writers in Prison Network Ltd. is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated entirely to promoting and encouraging the creative arts in prisons, with ex-offenders, and with those at risk of offending.

Following a meeting with Professors Waxler and Trounstine during their visit to the UK in 1999, the Writers in Prison Network Ltd., led by Clive Hopwood, brought the Changing Lives Through Literature programme to the notice of its members at their annual conference.

Two early programmes were adapted for use within the prison system at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Low Newton (women) and Her Majesty's Young Offender Institute (HMYOI) Feltham (youth offenders). Then, Mary Stephenson, Writer in Residence at HMP Channings Wood, a medium-security prison for adult men in Devon, believed that although CLTL had been run in the United States as an alternative to custodial sentence, it was possible to adapt the main concept to run as a programme within Channings Wood.

In 2000, she received funding from Arts Council England to develop her work at Channings Wood with the adapted version of CLTL as one of the main initiatives. She renamed the programme "Connections" because she was aware that the word "literature" could act as a deterrent to the men and that "Connections" would reinforce the aim of the programme: to help them make the connection between the experiences and actions of fictional characters and their own.

Connections at Channings Wood

With the help of her colleague, Neil Galbraith, who taught English at Channings Wood, Mary set up the new programme as follows:

--Ten 1.5-hour sessions to run weekly over 11 weeks, with a 2-week gap between sessions 9 and 10.

--Group to comprise 10 prisoners and up to 5 staff facilitators led by Neil and including Mary, Principal Officer Tom Taylor, and 2 other volunteer facilitators drawn from the prison staff.

--Texts to be short stories, poems, or short excerpts from novels, chosen in response to the discussion arising from the previous week's text. Sometimes video or drama would be used.

--Prisoners to be encouraged to write up draft notes after each session.

--Prisoners to write final essay in week 9, drawing on their notes and reactions to the texts and discussion. The essay is to take the form of a plan for the future, based on what had been learned from the texts and discussions.

--Final essays to be circulated among group members before the final session (session 10), during which each essay would be discussed in turn.

--A simple "How I See Myself" form would be filled in by prisoners in session one, retained by Neil. At the final session, prisoners would again be asked to fill out a blank "How I See Myself" form, with the same questions as before. Once they had filled this second form out, their original forms would be returned to them so they could see what changes had been made. If prisoners wished, copies of these forms would be lodged with their files in Probation.

--A copy of the final essay would also be sent to Probation to be lodged in the prisoners' files as evidence of their work on the programme and their future intentions.

--Over the three-year funded period, nine groups would be run.

--Sessions to be voluntary and run during prisoners' free association time in the evening.

Connections Pilot

Mary and Neil believed that as this was the first of its kind to be run at Channings Wood, the initial group should be a pilot, with prisoners selected to take part and advise on how best to deliver the programme to maximise its effectiveness for prisoners. Many of the above aspects resulted from the suggestions of the pilot group.

Connections Graduates Course

By week ten, members of the group frequently asked if they might continue the course. Although this wasn't possible, it was decided to run a Graduates Course in which prisoners from previous groups were invited to an intensive three-day examination of one text, in this case Othello, presented on video in the original version and a modern adaptation. Instead of allowing discussions to flow in whatever direction the prisoners took them, on this occasion, Neil and Mary drew up specific topics for the discussion to focus on, using excerpts from both versions to illustrate a particular issue.

This experiment proved very successful and demonstrated the flexible nature of CLTL work.

Beyond Channings Wood

Mary Stephenson was anxious that Connections should continue beyond the end of the three-year funded period, but to a wider audience. With this in mind, she applied, with the Writers in Prison Network Ltd., to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for support to take the programme to five new establishments.

In October 2002, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation agreed to fund five new pilots and the following establishments were chosen:

HMYOI Feltham: a young offenders institute in Feltham, Middlesex with a very supportive Friends of Feltham eager to try new approaches to rehabilitation in an establishment that had suffered a good deal of adverse reports and publicity. Feltham houses juveniles as well as young offenders.

HMPYOI Foston Hall: a women's prison in Derbyshire at which a serving senior prison officer had been working as Writer in Residence for two hours a week over a number of years.

HMPYOI Bullwood Hall: a women's prison in Essex that had just had a Writer in Residence for two years.

C-Far: a unit in North Devon for young male offenders in the 18-24 age bracket mainly on release under Home Detention Curfew (HDC), temporary or standard licence. Some are sent to C-Far as an alternative to custodial sentence. During their eleven-week residential programme, they undertake accredited courses in life skills, education, etc., with a strong emphasis on outdoor team building and challenging activities, followed by a nine-month period of strong support back in the community.

Henley House: run by Addaction, this is a residential therapeutic community in Devon for men and women, many of whom have already served custodial sentences, referred by social services from all over the UK for a six-month programme following detoxification. Residents learn how to cope with the outside world without drugs or alcohol.

Timetable

At the present time, the Connections programmes at C-Far and Henley House have yet to commence. Following training of the new facilitators, which was led by Mary Stephenson and Neil Galbraith, supported by other Channings Wood facilitators and prisoners who had completed Connections, the Connections programme commenced at HMYOI Feltham, HMPYOI Bullwood Hall, and HMPYOI Foston Hall in mid May 2003. These programmes are being evaluated by Mary Stephenson and Neil Galbraith, who will also be among the facilitators at the C-Far and Henley House programmes.

All pilots will have completed by the end of September 2003, following which a final evaluation meeting, hosted by the Writers in Prison Network Ltd., will be held in October 2003 with all the facilitators taking part in the five pilots.

Future

Already, the three establishments running the programme are discussing ways of continuing it beyond the funded pilot.

Writers in Prison Network Ltd. and Mary Stephenson hope to get funding to enable Mary and Neil to write a comprehensive "How To" guide in running the Connections course, building on the experience of the Channings Wood programme and the five new pilots. It is also hoped to take the results of the pilots to prison conferences in order to encourage more establishments to adopt the Connections programme.

At present, Writers in Prison Network Ltd. has avoided going down the accreditation route because, although this would make the programme more acceptable in criminal justice settings, there is a danger that the programme would lose its ability to adapt to the students, keeping the focus squarely on their needs rather than on educational targets set by the government.

Sample of Prisoner Responses

Prisoner responses to Connections:

"....it has made me realise how I have made people feel by acting and committing the crimes that I have during the past. And the pain I must have caused to all the people who have been affected through my criminal behaviour. Not just my family or loved ones who share the pain right to the very end but the victims as well. Sometimes I wonder on just how much pain I have caused people in my life and when will I finally get this right?"

"I didn't relate to all the texts but the ones I did made me sit and think very deeply indeed. The ones that I didn't relate to I tried to put myself in that situation and think about what I would do if it was me and how the people must have been feeling who were in that situation. That gave me great insight into myself."

"My reading has also somewhat diversified, which I enjoy very much. The whole course gave me a whole new outlook on life..."

"Each week when I returned to the wing after a meeting, I felt good - kind of refreshed..."

"I've let a few skeletons out of my closet and I'm now able to talk about my problems, rather than letting them build up. If I'd been able to talk before, I wouldn't be in prison now. In short, this course has helped me more than I could imagine."

"The Connections course has given me a lot to think about. It has also given me a new-found interest in literature. I read my first book at the age of twenty-seven and until now I never looked at the characters within the pages of a book. I find my new knowledge of literature very enlightening and fulfilling."

"I feel I have an insight that I don't think I had before. I never used to make the correlation between life and literature like I can now. I find myself feeling for characters in a different way and with more emotion also."

"The main thing was that I have now found a new way of reading and that I have found enjoyment in the text I would never have contemplated reading before."

"I have always tried to keep certain feelings away from inmates, this is due to losing face etc., but this course has given me the opportunity to open up and be myself."

Prisoner responses to the choice of material:

"Of Mice and Men was important to me. I've never really had dreams before, plenty of fantasies, but never any true ambition. I have a dream now I believe is obtainable, and even though it's important to acknowledge that nothing goes exactly to plan, at least I have a direction now that I intend to follow through whatever it takes. It gives reason to my life that I find comforting."

"I have never been much of a reading type person, and so having a text that was short, to the point and with meaning was essential for me to remain focused."

Prisoner responses to drama: the Macbeth experience:

"The production of Macbeth was a privilege and truly inspirational. But equally so, and astounding was the revelation that came to me somewhere between Macbeth and Sea Wolf, that all human nature and behaviour has significance and relevance to me and that I can benefit from healthy and constructive examination. I have found a new tool for expression, exploration and betterment of self to add to my repertoire."

"One thing I would like to give the highest praise to was the opportunity given to me to watch the Macbeth play held in the chapel. I had never had any dealings with Shakespeare before, and it really opened my eyes to a way of entertainment that I never expected to get the opportunity to see, and for which I am very thankful."