A creative approach: Engaging young people in research about educational risk factors related to re-offending

The ‘why’

One of the outcomes in my ADR UK fellowship application was to see whether it was feasible to identify individuals at high risk for offending using administrative education and social care data.

Schools present a myriad of opportunities to engage children in interventions during an incredibly formative time of their lives. Schools also give us access to the vast majority of children in the population. Using educational predictors to identify those at high risk for persistent offending is important in the long-term because it identifies those children and adolescents most suitable for early intervention, which can then inform criminal justice system responses to early antisocial behaviour.

In addition to the significant social and financial implications of early intervention, findings could potentially lay the groundwork for the development of a risk assessment tool that could help to prospectively identify those children at greatest risk of persistent offending. Therefore, as ultimate beneficiaries of project findings, it was important to ensure that young people at risk of offending, or those that have offended in the past, had a voice in shaping the potential impact of the project findings.

At the beginning of my fellowship, I undertook a focus group of patients charged or convicted of a criminal offence residing in low secure mental health services within the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS trust. It is estimated that as many as 90% of prisoners have some form of mental health problem, making these individuals in this service key project stakeholders. Findings from this focus group indicated potential benefits of early identification and intervention for young people at risk of offending, but also highlighted misgivings about the potential misuse and real-world use of a risk-assessment tool.

I wanted to use the themes derived from this initial focus group to guide the direction of the workshop with young people. I wanted to particularly focus on the ethical implications of developing a tool to identify young people who are at high risk for offending, and discuss the appropriate setting for the use of such a tool - if there was one at all. I was aware that it would be challenging to engage young people in administrative data research, particularly if they hadn’t been exposed to this type of research before. This is also a sensitive topic that could potentially trigger negative self-reflection if it wasn’t handled appropriately. Due to these reasons, and with the help of those who supported this activity, we collectively decided to use a creative approach facilitated by a trusted intermediary.

The ‘who’

In this half-day creative workshop we engaged nine young people between the age of 13-17 years, who regularly take part in artistic activities run by Synergy Theatre Company.

The ‘where’

We hired a room in a public library in northwest London, with plenty of room for movement but space to also sit and talk. We chose this location as it was convenient for the young people and can be considered a ‘neutral’ and approachable space - unlike, for instance, a university.

The ‘how’

Young people, including those carrying out the project, directly participated in a series of creative activities to understand what administrative data is. This helped to establish a baseline of understanding for more in-depth discussion.

To contextualise the research beyond the young people’s individual lived experience, we heard from two ex-prisoners. They shared their stories  with particular emphasis on the early factors that led them to being involved in the criminal justice system. We concluded the workshop with an exploration of educational factors like school exclusion, which research has found to be associated with offending and/or re-offending patterns.

One example of a creative activity we used was to ask the young people to create a short scene based on a moment from the ex-prisoner stories where someone could have intervened, and how it could have changed the course of their life away from offending. This gave us insight into what sort of interventions at-risk young people identify as productive over others they perceive as harmful.

Successes

Overall, the workshop enhanced young people’s knowledge on administrative data and provided insight into responsible use of a risk prediction tool, if one were to exist. Prior to the workshop, eight out of nine young people did not agree or were unsure whether their data should be used for research purposes. After the workshop, a large proportion who had not agreed or were unsure changed their opinion about how administrative data should be used in research, particularly to help identify the main educational risk factors for persistent re-offending.

While there was agreement that administrative data could be helpful and target interventions to prevent re-offending, the young people stressed the importance of data being used responsibly, by trained professionals who do not hold prejudices or unconscious biases against any individuals. The majority of young people agreed that they would now think about the impact and consequences of crime as the result of attending this workshop.

Young people enjoyed the new learning and opportunities to work with new people from different backgrounds to them, the stories from ex-prisoner facilitators, and the acting and improvisation element of the workshop. Some of them mentioned that they ‘really liked it and learnt a lot’ and expressed their gratitude towards the workshop organisers: ‘you guys are amazing, you help change people’s lives for the better.’ All of them indicated that they were willing to participate in similar future workshops. 

Lessons learned

• The value of collaboration with a trusted partner. For me as a researcher, engaging academics about research comes easier than engaging the public. Support from those who understand the needs and concerns of the young people, such as how to keep them engaged and or how to communicate in appropriate language, was crucial to the success of this activity. The evaluation report included a quote from Esther: ‘there is so much common ground. Research is really important to us and justifies why we exist, and art humanises research.’ The involvement of Synergy Theatre Company fostered a more equitable power dynamic among participants and the myself. 
• Set clear goals during the planning phase and use an independent evaluator to help you identify how and if you met these goals.
• The format of any workshop should vary according to the stakeholder but should always where possible be in person.
• Regular breaks with light refreshments and a meal are absolutely essential when working with young people!