The announcement that the Government is to create 10,000 new prison places presents an opportunity to do more than simply incarcerate thousands more men and women, according to The Conservation Foundation, which has been running environmental projects in UK prisons for 13 years. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put into practice the proven benefits the green environment can bring to prisoners and staff.
The Foundation, which has recently completed Unlocking Nature, an environmental project in HMP Wandsworth, is calling on government and all the agencies which will be responsible for building the prisons, to put the environment at the heart of their planning.
As David Shreeve, The Conservation Foundation’s director explains, “We know from our research that green spaces can have a positive effect on the mood and morale of people in closed environments. Unlocking Nature shows the many benefits the physical environment and land-based activities can play in supporting people living and working in prison. Relationships improve and the skills learned can be a real stepping stone to work on release”. He continues, “The prison service will have a big recruitment challenge to attract the right staff for 21st century prisons and making them better, safer and greener places to work can play an important part in this.”
Newly published evaluation* of Unlocking Nature, carried out by researchers from Coventry University, shows that bringing nature into the challenging environment of Wandsworth Prison has had many positive outcomes for prisoners and staff, including improved relationships.
Before the start of the project, there was little or no green space within the prison and the view from cell windows was almost unchanged from what had confronted Oscar Wilde, Ronnie Biggs and the thousands of other men who have spent time there over the past 168 years.
Unlocking Nature was established in response to a call from the National Offender Management Service in 2016 for voluntary sector projects which supported the prison reform agenda and reduced reoffending. Its aim was to improve the physical environment of one of Europe’s oldest and most overcrowded prisons and also to introduce a range of land-based activities that would support rehabilitation. Increasingly, research identifies the important role the prison environment plays in supporting rehabilitation.
The project was delivered during 2017 and 2018, following extensive consultation by the designer Adolfo Harrison with prisoners and staff. The outcome was the decision to build a number of raised flowerbeds in the prison’s Trinity Wing exercise yard and to develop an outdoor space to be used by staff. The raised beds were designed to be used for seating and planted with decorative, edible and sensory herbs including chamomile, oregano, fennel, rosemary, sage and lavender, which are harvested for use in the prison kitchen.
During interviews with the Coventry University researchers, the men described how going outside and engaging in a purposeful physical activity mirrored their experience of the world of work and provided a structure to their day.
An important aim of the Unlocking Nature programme was the opportunity to engage men in learning and developing work-related skills. The flexible and supportive way in which the programme was delivered created formal and informal learning opportunities, including engaging in activities such as bricklaying, rendering, painting, planting, practical garden maintenance, beekeeping and chicken keeping.
Jeanne Bryant, Governor of HMP Wandsworth says, “Unlocking Nature has undoubtedly contributed to an improvement in the environment for staff and men at Wandsworth, and I sincerely thank everyone involved for this. You will leave a legacy which will be maintained and appreciated in years to come”.
*Unlocking Nature, greening our prison spaces, a summary report based on an evaluation of The Conservation Foundation’s Unlocking Nature Programme delivered at HMP Wandsworth, is available to download at www.conservationfoundation.co.uk/projects/unlocking-nature/ or copies, price £5 including p&p, may be ordered from [email protected]
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NOTES FOR EDITORS:
Founded in 1982, The Conservation Foundation creates and manages environmental projects, award schemes, awareness campaigns, publications and events covering wide ranging issues and aimed at different and diverse audiences. It has worked in a number of English Prisons and HMP Edinburgh through its Tools Shed project since 2006. Tools Shed in England is currently funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
www.conservationfoundation.co.uk
For further information please contact Lindsay Swan at The Conservation Foundation, [email protected]; 07961 181982
The Conservation Foundation