Behind the cell door: Exploring how enhanced opportunities for self-led creativity impact on the mental wellbeing of adults living in prison.

这项研究将探讨创造性的“牢房内”机会对生活在监狱中的成年人的福祉的影响。在社会参与博物馆实践的框架下（Chynoweth，2021），它将研究植根于监狱中“非法”制作遗产的创造力（国际红十字会，2017），利用监狱环境中制作的博物馆文物作为连通性和生活体验洞察力的催化剂。这项研究是在英国监狱长时间限制新冠肺炎之后进行的，人们每天被限制在牢房中长达23小时（英格兰和威尔士监狱首席督察2021-22年度报告）。这种经历的乏味，以及缺乏刺激来摆脱监禁，导致精神健康状况不佳的程度不断上升，三分之一的囚犯表现出严重焦虑症的症状（User Voice，2022）。随着“牢房时间”的增加，监狱中的自残事件在2021年达到了第二高的记录水平，每年发生55，542起事件（Bromley简报，2022）。有充分的证据表明，"艺术对改善刑事司法系统中人们的生活有着深远的影响“。（国家刑事司法艺术联盟，2019年），研究证明了团体和从业者的积极影响，6治疗，康复和教育艺术的第3页。这个项目填补了探索“其他类型”的空白（Fleetwood，2020）的发明创造力，特别关注自我主导的细胞内创造力，与在有限的制度内制作的恢复性益处有关。调查将由以下研究问题指导，探索如何获得丰富的创造性机会背后的细胞门可能会改善生活在监狱中的成年人的福祉：什么是成年人在监狱牢房，他们自己的意志，用什么，为了什么目的？在封闭的细胞门后，为自我主导的创造创造机会带来了什么样的福利？是什么阻止监狱制度改善人们在牢房里的机会？当牢房门关上时，什么材料可能有助于发挥“创造性急救”的作用？我将应用以自反性人种志方法为基础的定性探索性研究方法（埃利斯，C。等人，2011年），集中在五个混合安全监狱中生活和工作的成年人的生活经验，以确定在牢房中制作物体的相关性和影响。对70名囚犯和20名工作人员的交叉样本进行的个人访谈将与使用设计思维工具（Tschimmel，2012）博物馆物品和创意材料的小组构思会议一起进行，以探索和绘制制作的情感影响。这项研究的重要性在于它有可能解决如何增强细胞内的创造性机会，受到监狱制作的博物馆物品的启发，可能会产生有益的影响，以抵消“监禁对心理健康的有害影响”（世界卫生组织，2021年）。我的目标是研究结果有助于博物馆研究和犯罪学领域的跨学科研究差距，支持研究社会参与的博物馆实践和使用文物作为与监狱社区富有同情心的创造性联系的来源（福斯特，第4页，共6页2016），为HMPPS政策和福利战略的改进提供信息，并为生活在监狱中的人提供创造性急救的途径。

This research will explore the impact of creative 'in-cell' opportunities on the wellbeing of adults living in prison. Framed by socially engaged museum practice (Chynoweth, 2021), it will examine creativity rooted in the heritage of 'illicit' making in prisons (International Red Cross, 2017), utilising museum artefacts made in prison settings as a catalyst for connectivity and lived experience insight. The research follows an extended period of Covid 19 restrictions in English prisons, with people confined to cells for up to 23 hours a day (HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report 2021-22). The tediousness of this experience, and lack of stimuli to take minds off confinement has contributed to rising levels of poor mental health with 1 in 3 prisoners showing symptoms of severe anxiety disorders (User Voice, 2022). With the increased 'cell-time', selfharm in prisons is at the second highest recorded level with 55,542 annual incidents in 2021 (Bromley Briefing, 2022). It is well documented 'that arts have a profound impact in improving the lives of people in the criminal justice system' (National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance, 2019), with research evidencing the positive impacts of group and practitioner led Page 3 of 6 therapeutic, rehabilitative, and educational art. This project fills a void to explore 'other types' (Fleetwood, 2020) of inventive creativity, to focus specifically on self led in-cell creativity, linked to the restorative benefits of making within a restricted regime. The inquiry will be guided by the following research questions, exploring how access to enriched creative opportunities behind the cell door might improve the wellbeing of adults living in prison: What are adults making in prison cells, of their own volition, with what, for what purpose? What are the wellbeing benefits of enabling opportunities for self-led making behind closed cell doors? What is preventing prison regimes from improving access and opportunity for people to make in their cells? What materials might be useful in performing the role of 'creative first aid' when the cell door closes? I will apply qualitative exploratory research methods underpinned by a reflexive autoethnographic approach (Ellis, C. et al, 2011), centering the lived experience of adults living and working in five mixed security prisons to determine the relevance and impact of crafting objects in-cell. Individual interviews with an intersectional sample of 70 prisoners and 20 staff members will sit alongside small group ideation sessions using design thinking tools (Tschimmel, 2012) museum objects, and creative materials to explore and map the emotional impact of making. The significance of this study lies in its potential to address how enhanced creative opportunities in-cell, inspired by prison made museum objects might have beneficial impacts to counterbalance 'harmful impacts of imprisonment on mental health' (World Health Organisation,2021). I aim for findings to contribute to an interdisciplinary research gap in the fields of museum studies and criminology, support research into socially engaged museum practice and use of artefacts as a source of compassionate creative connection with prison communities (Forster, Page 4 of 6 2016), inform improvements in HMPPS policy and wellbeing strategies and provide pathways to creative first aid for people living in prison.