Elevating those with criminal justice experience
Elevating those with criminal justice experience
Author
Introduction
People with experience of the criminal justice system often face multiple forms of discrimination, injustice and trauma in their lives which can make it hard for them to progress in their careers. At the same time, many of them are highly motivated to use their lived experience to bring insight into the policy and practice of the criminal justice workforce - but they often work in frontline delivery roles with little opportunity to progress to senior decision-making roles.
2022 Award
Nina Champion (CF 2017) is the Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA), a network of 180 organisations working towards a fair and effective criminal justice system. Over the past two years, Nina has been developing a project called ELEVATE CJS (Elevating Lived Experience Voices Advocacy Training and Expertise), aimed at empowering people with lived experience of the criminal justice system to become advocates for change. Nina has developed the project in conjunction with an expert group of people with this lived experience.
Nina has been awarded one of our Activate grants to launch and deliver ELEVATE CJS as a pilot project in London over the course of 24 months, in conjunction with the University of Westminster. The pilot will consist of two one-day taster leadership workshops for a total of 160 people with lived experience who are currently working in service delivery roles, followed by two 12-month programmes of leadership and career support for a total of 40 people. The funding will enable Nina and colleagues at the CJA to deliver the programme, including weekend residentials, workshops and seminars, research projects, coaching, work placements and media training. Staff from the University of Westminster will deliver sessions alongside specialist facilitators, whilst Nina will work with journalists, policymakers and employers to influence workforce practice and change the narrative around people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. The funding will also enable Nina to recruit an external evaluator to produce an interim report on the first cohort, which will be used to inform the programme for a second cohort.
Nina hopes that the ELEVATE CJS programme will equip participants with skills and confidence to gain leadership roles in the criminal justice workforce and contribute to systemic change.
Nina’s Fellowship explored the potential of prison-university partnerships to transform learners with lived experience of the criminal justice system into leaders and was supported by The Eranda Rothschild Foundation.
2022 Award
Nina Champion (CF 2017) is the Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA), a network of 180 organisations working towards a fair and effective criminal justice system. Over the past two years, Nina has been developing a project called ELEVATE CJS (Elevating Lived Experience Voices Advocacy Training and Expertise), aimed at empowering people with lived experience of the criminal justice system to become advocates for change. Nina has developed the project in conjunction with an expert group of people with this lived experience.
Nina has been awarded one of our Activate grants to launch and deliver ELEVATE CJS as a pilot project in London over the course of 24 months, in conjunction with the University of Westminster. The pilot will consist of two one-day taster leadership workshops for a total of 160 people with lived experience who are currently working in service delivery roles, followed by two 12-month programmes of leadership and career support for a total of 40 people. The funding will enable Nina and colleagues at the CJA to deliver the programme, including weekend residentials, workshops and seminars, research projects, coaching, work placements and media training. Staff from the University of Westminster will deliver sessions alongside specialist facilitators, whilst Nina will work with journalists, policymakers and employers to influence workforce practice and change the narrative around people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. The funding will also enable Nina to recruit an external evaluator to produce an interim report on the first cohort, which will be used to inform the programme for a second cohort.
Nina hopes that the ELEVATE CJS programme will equip participants with skills and confidence to gain leadership roles in the criminal justice workforce and contribute to systemic change.
Nina’s Fellowship explored the potential of prison-university partnerships to transform learners with lived experience of the criminal justice system into leaders and was supported by The Eranda Rothschild Foundation.