Getting a Blue Life
This report shares prisoners’ views of what a personalised service might look like and how their needs could be better met. Presented to the Personalisation Steering Group, it shares the learning from a project exploring the potential of Personalisation for people within the criminal justice system. The project was commissioned by the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement Partnership Offender Health and Social Care Programme. Its aim was to scope the implications of the Personalisation agenda relating to offenders.
The project looked specifically at those who commit repeated short-term offences, often described as having a ʻrevolving doorʼ to prison. This group of people is not usually supervised by Probation services or supported by statutory agencies when they are released.
Working with a group of 10 – 20 offenders, prison staff and multi-agency stakeholders, the project aimed to increase their understanding of Personalisation and person-centred support. It also set out to describe and critique current and alternative models of support.
The project further aimed to:
- identify and understand the potential barriers and opportunities to implementing Personalisation
- increase understanding of the views and aspirations of this group of offenders
- increase understanding of the state of readiness of multi-agency stakeholders working with this group
- develop staff and participants’ knowledge and understanding of the Personalisation model.
The term ‘Blue life’ (in the title of this report) comes from an exercise where offenders noted on blue cards the features of the lives experienced by non-offenders. They captured their own experiences on orange cards (the ‘orange life’). It emerged that there were several stages of the offender journey where a more personalised approach could be taken. These could make it possible for a foundation to be prepared to implement the elements of Personalisation.
The time while offenders were in prison was the key moment to start the process and prepare the ground for Personalisation. If offers significant opportunities to do things differently with little or no resources and prepare offenders for a ʻblue lifeʼ.
The report makes four specific suggestions for next steps.
