How's Your Week Been?

How’s Your Week Been? sharing the benefits of long-term support for people who have previously been on placement at LandWorks

by Julie Parsons, Jane Grose & Chloe Pettit

Introduction This publication aims to visually share some of the interactions from people who participated in a British Academy funded research project set up to investigate ‘what works’ in terms of supporting people who have previously been on placement at LandWorks (2013-2021), as they negotiate the impact of Covid-19.

It includes some of their texts, snippets of dialogue from interviews and email exchanges, as well as a selection of photographs that they shared with the research team over the last twelve months.

The research is still at an early stage and we are not yet ready to present any outcomes. Instead the aim is to present some of the thoughts, feelings and visual images from people coping throughout the pandemic, whilst also coming to terms with the impact of criminalisation on everyday life.

LandWorks LandWorks is a resettlement and rehabilitation charity that works with people in prison and those at risk of going to prison (referred to as trainees) to enhance their opportunities and prevent reoffending. During the first lockdown LandWorks decided to systematically increase its contact with people who had previously been on placement with them since the project started in 2013 and a more formalised approach to ‘graduate’ support began.

LandWorks differs significantly from statutory agencies that work with ‘offenders’ as the majority of people who have been through LandWorks maintain contact beyond the end of their placements. www.landworks.org.uk

Trainees and the PeN project Jeremy, a recent trainee on placement at LandWorks, says in his blogpost on the PeN project website (22/7/2021)

“The amount of people that I’ve seen that have been through and yet still come back, I think that kind of rubber-stamps how brilliant this place is…” www.penprojectlandworks.org/tag/jeremy The development of the Photographic electronicNarrative (PeN) website and blogposts as a means of capturing LandWorks trainee stories and experiences in their own words began in 2016, as a result of funding from the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF).

It has since published 97 blogposts, including several documenting first hand experiences of the pandemic from those recently released from prison and/or rough sleeping.

“The fact that people come back to stick their head in and say ‘hello’, that speaks more than words. That’s real respect and love for the place…” www.penprojectlandworks.org/tag/robin

LandWorks placements & on-going support People on placement at LandWorks are given the opportunity to develop a bespoke resettlement plan that covers specific training and skills, alongside a broad range of confidence building activities.

LandWorks offers a holistic ‘wrap around’ service with involvement in enterprises such as art, gardening, pottery and woodwork, alongside practical and emotional support. Examples of support include; help with finding suitable and stable accommodation, employment training and opportunities, financial advice and support such as money management skills and applying for benefits, as well as counselling.

Once a placement ends, LandWorks continues to offer on-going support.

Research Title Finishing time at a distance: an exploration of support mechanisms for socio-economically disadvantaged and criminalised individuals during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.

Research Aims To map individual engagement with former LandWorks ‘trainees’ through texts, phone calls and emails.

To contribute to the development of support mechanisms for those reintegrating into the community once their placement has ended.

To explore the lived experience of criminalised individuals during Covid-19.

British Academy Research Methods In order to map engagement, former trainees were contacted on a weekly basis over text and/or email from September 2020 to February 2021. The LandWorks Project Director randomly selected 15 people to broadly include a range of ages and to cover different timescales in terms of when they were on placement at LandWorks.14 people responded.

Follow up interviews with former trainees, alongside PeN project interviews with current trainees (10) were conducted in order to capture how LandWorks supports people on placement and after their placement, as well as the lived experience of the pandemic.

The research project received full ethical approval form the University of Plymouth Ethics Committee, all participants gave written consent and have been allocated pseudonyms.

Engagement The majority of former trainees engaged with the research assistant (Chloe Pettit) through text messages. Three people - Lee, Jarvis and Quentin - preferred to chat over the telephone, whilst Echelon and Reece mainly conducted correspondence with Chloe over email. Half of the 14 who engaged in the research sent photographs. Chloe working with the Project Director at LandWorks, used the LandWorks traffic light system to identify if and when any of the former trainees she was in contact with needed additional support.

Participants List

LandWorks Traffic Light System & Risk

“It’s the same for everyone, you just have to get on with it”

“suppose everyone’s feeling the same sort of thing, isolation, especially living alone… The silence is too loud sometimes” “people are just getting fed up with it. I know I am fed up with it”

“I felt a little bit lost, but I’m ok”

“We’re all in the same position really”

“It is what it is”

“You start finding out how strong you are”

“I think like everyone,it’s a bit frustrating”

How’s Your Week Been?

“Same as everyone really”

Quentin’s Story Quentin was a trainee at LandWorks from 2017 to 2018. He was a prisoner released on temporary licence and the story of his time on placement can be read here; www.penprojectlandworks.org/category/ quentin At the start of the research, Quentin said “in a way Covid did me a favour”, because although he lost his job it meant he had more time to spend developing his pottery business.

“It’s a wee bubble, and in that little bubble is quite a safe place, you are away from all the stresses of normal life, like everything, which is why I like to go back now and again to recharge just for the day”

“Pottery is my life saver” “My pottery keeps me sane” “That only happened because of LandWorks, it looks good for LandWorks, I’m the ultimate success story…”

Lee’s Story Lee was a trainee at LandWorks over 10 months in 2018. He was a prisoner released on temporary licence and the story of his time on placement can be read here; www.penprojectlandworks.org/ category/lee He had an alternative view to Quentin, as the impact of Covid had shut down the opportunities he had to sell his work at the craft markets and fairs he had been going to across the country.

“Been a nightmare since Covid 19” [phone] October 2020

“I was lost in myself before I got put away” “Lost my liberty, my relationship and kids, but you lose all functionality of life, you’re controlled and there’s nothings you can do about it” ““I suppose your still a bit institutionalised, even though it’s been 2 years since I’ve come home, there’s still that side of you that’s regimental really, you’ve spent 2.5 years and you can’t just walk out and go down the road or anything like that, that sort of sets in your head”.”

“I do enjoy what I’m doing now, it gives me a thrill to see someone walk off with one of my boards.”

Kyle’s Story Kyle was a trainee at LandWorks over 5 months in 2019. He was referred to LandWorks though probation. By his own admission he was lucky enough to be able to continue to work in construction throughout the lockdown. He sent photos of his places of work and the sunrise.

Charlie’s Story Charlie was a trainee at LandWorks for 7 months from September 2015. He was referred to LandWorks through probation. He has worked throughout the pandemic and still calls into LandWorks or texts the Project Director from time to time. He had some issues with a colleague at work early on in the pandemic, which were resolved.

“I work for… been here about a month and I love it” (21/9/2020)

Jarvis’s Story Jarvis was a trainee at LandWorks released on temporary licence from the local prison. He had two separate placements, disrupted by ‘release on temporary licence’ shutdown at the prison. His second placement ended in March 2018. Jarvis was what he would term a ‘career criminal’, with his last sentence one of the longest of his career. His PeN project blogposts can be read here; www.penprojectlandworks.org/category/jarvis

“If there was trouble, I would just sort it out, but now I do things differently, it’s a bit hard”.

“I think people with my background, especially long term people who have been in and out of prison, I think they lose something in themselves that they don’t quite get back”

“Even though I still think crime things, I just don’t act on them”.

“Landworks put so much effort in – its three years later and they are still helping me which is really really good of them”.

“When you change your life around it’s quite interesting what happens, once you mix with lots of different and positive people, ones start trying to help you” “When you go to LandWorks and you mix with different people, it rubs off on you, to try and help people... you just want to do things”. “we are all trying to escape from something aren’t we at the end of the day as people” “I’m ok, I just live a day at a time.”

Billy’s Story Billy was at LandWorks over 7 months in 2019. He was released on temporary licence from prison. He did some PeN project interviews and his blogposts can be read here; www.penprojectlandworks.org/ category/billy. He was able to continue working throughout the pandemic.

Rodney’s Story Rodney attended LandWorks on placement from May 2016 to March 2017. He was referred to LandWorks through probation and you can read some of his journey here: www.penprojectlandworks.org/ category/rodney He has struggled through the pandemic and comments on the impact of isolation on his mental health. LandWorks provides an additional avenue of support and importantly a place he can visit.

His text “the silence is too loud sometimes” resonates with many who were in enforced solitary isolation during lockdown.

Echelon’s Story Echelon was on a trainee placement at LandWorks for 6 months in 2015 and was referred through probation. He sent photographs of the work he’d been doing on his dad’s car. He also sent Chloe lots of photographs of his toe, which was infected and then amputated. Unfortunately, he also spent a lot of time in and out of hospital, following his email exchange with Chloe here. He has only recently been released from hospital again and is looking forward to attending the LandWorks’ Supporters’Day, which he manages to do most years

“I’m doing ok i haven’t fully recovered from my 5.5 weeks in hospital still on the mend but doing good i nearly died from covid and I nearly lost my left foot thanks to a infection in my left foot ankle leg So yh im healing slowly […] And now I’m just at home taking all antibiotics playing Xbox and watching TV and trying to heal my wound as fast as possible and yes I had a toe amputated…

Bah humbug to tell you the truth that wasn’t the worst Christmas I have experienced I was in prison over Christmas 2014/2015 HMP Portland I’ve spent two to three birthdays in prison as well they were probably the worst times of my life Christmas and birthdays in prison Christmas in hospital was it was ok it wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worse” (Email January 2021)

Concluding Comments The ease with which participants engaged with the research is a testament to the trusting relationships trainees develop with the LandWorks team during their placements.

Regular texting worked really well as a useful means of keeping in touch with the majority of those participating in the research, though for a few people telephone calls were preferred.

The photographs, texts and snippets of commentary clearly document the difficulties of adjusting to life after a placement, as well as some of the individual experiences of living through the pandemic.

The research clearly highlights the importance of ongoing support for people once they have finished their placements at LandWorks, which significantly becomes a ‘place’ to visit for former trainees and their families.

It is as Jeremy highlighted in his blog a testament to the success of LandWorks that people still want to visit after their placements end.

Acknowledgements Special thanks to all of the people who have contributed to this research project, in no particular order; Karl, Lee, Charlie, Billy, Jarvis, Quentin, Echelon, Holly, Niko, Benny, Reece, Rodney, Kyle, Geoff, Max, Rob, Johnny and Doris.

Also, to all of those who have contributed to, and continue to participate in the PeN project, including the most recent trainees, Jeremy and Tony Thanks to the research team, especially Jane Grose and Chloe Pettit.

Thanks to The British Academy, the University of Plymouth, LandWorks and Fotonow CIC. Dr Julie Parsons, Associate Professor of Sociology & Associate Head of School for the Social Science Group (Criminology, Sociology & Anthropology), School of Society & Culture, University of Plymouth, Drakes Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA. jmparsons@plymouth.ac.uk

Funded by a British Academy Covid-19 research grant, with help from LandWorks CIO, The University of Plymouth & Fotonow CIC.