Makeright is an award-winning initiative from the Design Against Crime Research Lab
Since 2014, through the Makeright initiative, the Design Against Crime Research Lab has developed a range of teaching materials and practical vocational courses for use in prisons. These resources aim to help inmates gain new skills, develop their communication and find pathways to independent learning and personal growth, ultimately leading some towards desistance and crime-free lives.
Through pioneering new learning approaches, drawing upon ‘design thinking’ and ‘participatory design’, Makeright has a track record of engaging inmates that previous education initiatives have not reached. Over more than a decade, the team has monitored the impact of their work, continuously improving and developing the project with input from participants. In 2014, Makeright developed the first course in the world to involve prisoners in designing against crime.
If you are interested in hearing more about Makeright, or want to collaborate or partner with us on future projects, please contact Lorraine Gamman, l.gamman@csm.arts.ac.uk.
The Makeright initiative has been supported by two notable funding partners. The Bromley Trust provided funding for the 'Cards that Communicate' course from 2022 to 2023. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded the 'Design Thinking for Prison' Industries initiative, which included the anti-theft bag course from 2014 to 2018.
Conducted at HMP Thameside, these courses led to the development of a new product range for Abel & Cole.
You can explore the teaching materials designed for running the Makeright anti-theft bag course here:
Or watch this inspiring short film to hear an overview of the project from the staff members involved:
DAC Lab worked with with young men at HMP Isis to co-create a range of greetings cards, which will be further developed with the charity Untold in the future. The team also asked inmates at HMP Isis who their heroes were and worked with Here Design to bring these to life in a series of posters exhibited in the foyer of Central Saint Martins. Find out more about the Black Heroes project here.
To find out more about Makeright and the value of using of design thinking to engage with prisoners, explore our publications on UAL Research online and our collection on Figshare.
The initial Makeright course at HMP Thameside enabled over 85 inmates to produce a range of bags sold by Abel and Cole, with profits going to Sue Ryder charity. The prison director applauded the project, noting that the Makeright participants demonstrated the sort of changes in behaviour that are key indicators of a reduced likelihood of reoffending.
The participants themselves also reported a positive impact . 20 of the inmates from HMP Thameside who participated in the course were interviewed about what they learned and you can read their direct testimonies here in our Figshare collection.
Seven iterations of Makeright were delivered in the UK and India through the award-winning knowledge exchange project with the National Institute of Design at Sabamarti Central Jail (2015 -16). A total of 170 prisoners benefited from the course, with over 40 graduate design volunteers taking part in a peer mentoring scheme.
In 2023, 52 UAL staff members and graduates took part in a training course designed to prepare them to teach creative subjects in prisons. Participants who completed this training had the opportunity to observe a teaching session in HMP Isis.
If we can secure further funding, our goal is to run a fashion course at HMP Isis to design a jacket with the inmates.
Principle Investigator: Professor Lorraine Gamman Research Associate: Val Palmer Research Associate: Carlotta Allum
Judah Armani: InHouse Records Claire Swift: Making for Change, LCF Jasmine Holland: Open Book, Goldsmiths Kate Marlow: Here Adam Thorpe: Public Collaboration Lab
Exchanging design tools, methods and processes with prisons in London and Ahmedabad to build inmate resilience (2014 – 2018)
Principle Investigator: Professor Lorraine Gamman Co-Investigator: Professor Adam Thorpe Co-Investigator: Praveen Nahar Designer and Researcher: Pras Gunasekera Designer and Researcher: Erika Renedo Illarregi and the efforts of many other freelance staff
HMP Isis UNTOLD Serco Group HMP Thameside Abel & Cole Sue Ryder National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance National Institute of Design (India) Sabarmati Central Jail (India) Open Book