On reflection- Prisons and Me

This module has changed me as a person and as an artist.

 

 

Coming into this module I didn’t know what I expected to see. I wasn’t aware of how much this context would inform what I think and feel as a social practitioner. I expected to enjoy working in this context but I have never felt so passionate in looking for the spaces where change can happen for these humans in this system.

After taking this module I need to make a change happen, specifically in the Scottish Prison system. I feel fully equipped with research and knowledge to find this gaps in what is needed in this system. I can use the language that the Scottish Prison service uses to play it at its own game and challenge things wthin prison such as “I thought this was a system of care, how are we using care here?” The way I have worked on this module will inform other social practices I undergo too. I can consider ACES, and racism, and family connection, and other factors when working in education for example. I now look at prison as a place of hurt because of experience, rather than a place of evil.

I want to continue to work in this sector. Making a creative resource will now become a vital part of my practice. How will I continue to show up for people in prison even when I can’t be there? This resource I have created is a longer term project, something to be done when I can’t be in person facilitating. It responds to the time we are in. A time of crisis in the Scottish Prison System.

One thing I wish I had done better is documenting my daily practice. I got a lot out of my daily practice but was so immersed in it that I forgot to document a lot of it. I wish I had done this more to see the progress of my daily practice and all the things I noticed during.

In my whole time in education, I can honestly say the learning has been immense. It was extremely difficult at times, because the reality of the situation becomes clear and you have the context right in your face. However this is important in really understanding the research and how you can turn research into practice. Context is half the work. It was never going to be easy, it was going to change my life. 

The next steps for my practice are facilitating a group in the prison space and sending my creative resource into prisons to be used. I care about this context. I will situate myself in this context to open space for conversation on the successes and failures of the criminal justice system.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *