Creativity Unbound: the pedagogical power of prison-university partnerships

Alternative education provision in prisons has a positive impact on recidivism and employment opportunities. The Inside-Out model (King et al., 2019) has shown to increase confidence in prisoners’ oral and written skills, ignite a broader desire to learn, and benefit the wider prison community.
In 2021, researchers from the Universities of Surrey (UoS) and Cardiff delivered a creative writing project at HMP Downview, a women’s prison in Sutton, inspired by the Latin American model of community writing (cartonera). This project culminated in the publication of a collection of the participants’ writing, giving these marginalised learners a voice. The programme created a space for communal learning and expression, enabling the participants ‘to break down barriers and perceived individual differences ’ (Bell and Dodds, 2021, p. 7).
In 2022, the WP&O team at UoS extended this publishing project through a partnership with Downview. The Creativity Unbound programme was developed using the Inside-Out model . Through a transformative learning lens, this chapter presents findings from 25 evaluation respondents and focus groups carried out with 14 participants. The findings show participants’ increased confidence, positive mental health, and interest in further education. This chapter contributes to the evidence of the value of prison-university partnerships providing prisoners with non-traditional modes of education engagement and opportunities to connect with the community and society—inside and out.