The Barlinnie Special Unit

Art, Punishment and Innovation

Kirstin Anderson, Helena Kennedy KC

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English

Waterside Press
01 October 2024

Penology & punishment; Offenders; Rehabilitation of offenders; Criminal justice law

Fifty years ago, a small unit in HM Prison Barlinnie, Glasgow, became a radical experiment whose approach polarised opinion. It encouraged shared decision-making between prisoners and staff, allowed greater access to families and enabled prisoners to explore creative activities. Through the support of visiting artists, and the voices of the prisoners themselves, notably the sculptor Jimmy Boyle (author of A Sense of Freedom), its impact challenged prevailing, disciplinarian prison culture.

Arts of various kinds, plus respectful and challenging dialogue, released dormant abilities and strengths in hitherto recalcitrant, formerly violent prisoners. Always controversial, the legacy of the Barlinnie Special Unit challenges overly punitive ideas around crime to this day.

The first edited collection on the Barlinnie Special Unit's almost 22-year history with contributions by those who were there at the time, or helped preserve its legacy. They include artist filmmaker Bill Beech, Scotland's first art therapist Joyce Laing, leading Scottish impresario Richard Demarco, Sara Trevelyan, ex-wife of Jimmy Boyle (who also contributes), Rupert Wolfe Murray, son of Boyle's publisher, Professor Mike Nellis of Strathclyde University, Claire Coia, a curator at Glasgow's Open Museum, Andrew Coyle, founding Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies and journalist, and former Scottish MP Brian Wilson.

Foreword by: Helena Kennedy KC
Edited by: Kirstin Anderson
Imprint: Waterside Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 450g
ISBN: 9781914603464
ISBN 10: 191460346X
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 01 October 2024
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Professional and scholarly , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr Kirstin Anderson has taught for 22 years in schools, universities and prisons and led the first empirical study to look at Music Education and Music Making in Scottish prisons. She is a Lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University. The author of the Foreword Baroness Helena Kennedy KC is a leading lawyer, broadcaster and former Master of Mansfield College, Oxford. Her publications include Eve Was Framed and Just Law. She is President of Justice among other high profile law reform roles.

Reviews for The Barlinnie Special Unit: Art, Punishment and Innovation

‘Looking again at the BSU is a reminder that we have to reform the prison system. It means treating people in a humane way, even those who have committed serious crime, and by inventing creative projects which restore a person’s self-worth as a better route to redemption than mere punishment’ — Baroness Helena Kennedy KC (from the Foreword).