Today’s blog post is a short profile of the HMPPS Insights initiative set up to bring people together from across the Criminal Justice System to learn, share, connect and celebrate the innovative work that people from different sectors do. HMPPS wanted to provide an opportunity for staff across the public, private and voluntary sector to take some time away from their busy day jobs to find out about different parts of the system and share ideas. Based on the premise that there is a lot of expertise and good practice out there, Insights provides the opportunity to showcase this and learn from each other.

 The initiative kicked off last year with the Insights19 Festival with over 150 free learning and development opportunities for staff, hosted by HMPPS and a range of criminal justice partners. Due to the success of Insights19, Insights20 promised to be even more spectacular with over 400 events planned for May 2020 and 8000 tickets sold. Events ranged from opportunities to shadow HMPPS and voluntary sector senior leaders, prison tours, academic seminars, to spending a day on patrol with the Metropolitan Police Gangs team. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, HMPPS had to make the difficult decision to cancel Insights20, which was a huge disappointment. The Insights team was redeployed to support other critical areas of the business during the pandemic. 

However, Insights19 had made such an impact that some organisations who had been involved the previous year suggested turning the 2020 festival into an online experience. HMPPS revamped their website in May and are now offering a range of virtual events, from academic seminars, virtual coffees with senior leaders across the CJS, presentations, Q&As, and practice workshops.

They also have regular contributions to a guest blog, including those written by people with lived experience of the CJS, and a series of videos including a virtual tour of HMP Stafford during lockdown, led by Governor Ralph Lubkowski

The Insights team is keen to make the experience even bigger and better and would love to hear your views, so if you have any ideas or would like to contribute to InsightsOnline in some way, please contact them at Insights@justice.gov.uk. You can follow them on Twitter (@hmppsinsights) for regular updates on events and blogs.

The range of subjects covered is impressive.

Recent blogs have covered:

• Procedural Justice
• Domestic abuse in lockdown
• Peer support for older prisoners through lockdown
• Thinking differently about prison TV
• Supporting the families of prisoners sentenced to IPP 

Forthcoming virtual events (remember everything is free) include: 

• How to start a podcast
• Think yourself into leadership
• Restorative justice in cases of sexual abuse
• Human Learning Systems
• Fearless public speaking

Click below to watch the Insights video of the virtual tour of HMP Stafford during lockdown.