Resources and publications Resources and publications Our Annual Report 2019 Changing Tunes Annual Report 2019 A study of our work By Prof. Shadd Maruna & Jo Cursley A Narrative-based Evaluation of Changing Tunes Music-based Prisoner Reintegration Interventions Report.pdf Published in January 2015, this report explains the results of research into Changing Tunes' work. Evidence revealed that the pro-social impact on participants came as a result both of participation in music and the roles this gave them, but also as a result of longevity of the support and mentoring from Changing Tunes musicians, which continued both inside and outside prison. Here are the conclusions drawn from the research... '… findings supported previous research in demonstrating considerable changes in participants’ lives at the level of self-identity…involvement in the music charity helped to “wake something up” inside of them and show them new possibilities for their lives. These changing self-perceptions led to a sense of agency and control, and a vision with hope for their future…. part of this transformation was a direct product of musical training as a medium for self-discovery and self-expression. Interviewees described music as having an intangible power for lifting and working through emotions, and they employed their newly learned musical skills as a form of self-therapy for coping with personal struggles... music’s power as a memory aid appeared to benefit the important journey of ‘coming to grips’ with one’s past, and this biographical reconstruction has been found to be crucial in the process of desistance from crime…. Most participants argued that the key to the success of Changing Tunes was through the relationships they formed with their mentors and also with other members of the group within the sessions… we found that Changing Tunes strongly supported desistance from crime by encouraging and growing individual potential through the medium of music.' What happens to prisoners in a pandemic? What happens to prisoners in a pandemic.pdf This report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons explores the effects of restrictions in prisons and secure units during Covid19. It cites interviews with men, women and children who had typically spent more than 22 hours a day in their cells since March 2020. It concludes that the most disturbing effect of the restrictions was the decline in prisoners’ well-being. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, commented: ‘The cumulative effect of such prolonged and severe restrictions on prisoners’ mental health and well-being is profound. The lack of support to reduce reoffending and help prisoners address their risk of serious harm to the public does not fill me with hope for the longer term.’ Changing Tunes are committed to supporting the mental health of beneficiaries, engaging them in trauma-informed, relational music-making. We are well placed to support their recovery. The Lammy Review An independent review into the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System lammy Review Final Report.pdf The Lammy Review is a call to action, for the criminal justice system, for society and for Changing Tunes and our peers. The report presents compelling findings, including the following insights… 'Despite making up just 14% of the population, BAME men and women make up 25% of prisoners, while over 40% of young people in custody are from BAME backgrounds. If our prison population reflected the make-up of England and Wales, we would have over 9,000 fewer people in prison – the equivalent of 12 average-sized prisons. There is greater disproportionality in the number of Black people in prisons here than in the United States. These disproportionate numbers represent wasted lives… …many of the causes of BAME overrepresentation lie outside the CJS, as do the answers to it. People from a black background are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than those from a white background. Black children are more than twice as likely to grow up in a lone parent family. Black and Mixed ethnic boys are more likely than White boys to be permanently excluded from school and to be arrested as a teenager. These issues start long before a young man or woman ever enters a plea decision, goes before a magistrate or serves a prison sentence. Although these problems must be addressed, this cannot be done by the justice system alone. Prisons may be walled off from society, but they remain a product of it. Nevertheless, our justice system is powerful and farreaching. It makes millions of decisions each year that influence the fate of victims, suspects, defendants and offenders… More can be done to achieve the core goals of this review: to reduce the proportion of BAME individuals in the CJS and ensure that all defendants and offenders are treated equally, whatever their ethnicity.' Changing Tunes are committed to becoming an Anti-racist organisation and to promoting inclusion and diversity in all that we do. We want to be better allies and to play our part in dismantling structural discrimination and inequity. We are implementing an Anti-Racism, Inclusion and Diversity Action Plan to make positive change at Changing Tunes and through our work. This process is ongoing and a major priority to us.