Update: Appreciative Inquiry into August 2024 Plymouth Disorder

The numbers don’t lie: they tell a clear story about the prevalence and harmful effects of abuse. Domestic abuse is all too common in the UK, and its harmful impacts can extend to many areas of survivors’ lives, including mental health, physical wellbeing and family safety. Some women are disproportionately affected, particularly those facing intersecting forms of inequality such as racism, disability, poverty, insecure immigration status, or discrimination based on gender identity, and they often face additional barriers to accessing support . Fact : 1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. Domestic abuse feels incredibly isolating, but the numbers tell a different story: you are not alone. Fact: On average, one woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex every five days in England and Wales. If you are afraid of your partner, Refuge is here to help you. Always call 999 in an emergency. Fact: The police receive a domestic abuse-related call every 30 seconds. Yet it is estimated that less than 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to the police. Fact: Domestic abuse can begin or escalate during pregnancy. 1 in 3 pregnant women experience domestic abuse and between April 2024 and March 2025, 14% of Refuge’s service users reported being pregnant.

Twenty-five domestic abuse offenders have been jailed in the West Midlands within the past two months alongside a police crackdown aimed at protecting victims, officers said. A total of 30 offenders appeared in court for crimes including assault, stalking, harassment, threats, criminal damage, and breaches of restraining and non-molestation orders. Sentences for those jailed averaged 25 weeks. The campaign came during the run-up to Christmas when reports of domestic violence traditionally rise, the West Midlands force said. Nearly 100 suspects detained In a planned operation across the region in December, nearly 100 suspects were detained on suspicion of domestic abuse offences. Among the 25 people who were jailed, a 45-year-old man sentenced to 33 months for a domestic assault in Edgbaston, and a 71-year-old man who was imprisoned for 21 months for stalking a woman in Birmingham. Five other offenders who were convicted received suspended sentences, community orders, or restraining orders. Det Insp Charlie Sparks said: "Our specialist teams remain wholly focused on supporting survivors and bringing perpetrators before the courts. "We understand the devastating impact these crimes have on victims, often in the place they should feel safest—their own homes. "Our officers work tirelessly to gather strong evidence and secure convictions, ensuring victims are safeguarded and offenders held accountable." But is that enough. . Key Statistics for the West Midlands Police Recorded Offences: The total number of sexual offences recorded by the West Midlands Police was 11,401 for the year ending March 2022, a 37% increase from the previous period. Prevalence Rates (Estimated): The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending March 2025 estimated that in the West Midlands, 9.1% of women (and 6.5% of men) experienced domestic abuse in the last year.

SPENDING £4 mil­lion a year to keep open an unus­able jail is an “embar­rass­ing sign” of the state of prison man­age­ment, cam­paign­ers said yes­ter­day. Prison reform groups slammed the gov­ern­ment after a report from the par­lia­ment­ary spend­ing watch­dog revealed the Min­istry of Justice agreed to a 10-year lease at HMP Dart­moor des­pite high levels of pois­on­ous gas at the site. TROUBLED JAIL: HMP Dart­moor The pub­lic accounts com­mit­tee said the deal signed in 2022 to rent the prison from the Duchy of Corn­wall was con­cluded “in a blind panic” as civil ser­vants looked to increase the num­ber of places for pris­on­ers. The report found that HM Prison and Pro­ba­tion Ser­vice (HMPPS) locked itself into the deal until Decem­ber 2033, des­pite it being shut in August 2024. Radon, a radio­act­ive gas which can cause lung can­cer, was found at 10 times the safe level of con­cen­tra­tion in some areas of the prison as early as 2020. Andrew Neilson, cam­paigns dir­ector at the Howard League for Penal Reform, told the Morn­ing Star: “That the gov­ern­ment is spend­ing £4m a year to keep open a jail it can’t use is an embar­rass­ing sign of how dis­astrous the prison capa­city crisis has become. “Rather than con­tinu­ing to focus on increas­ing prison places, the gov­ern­ment must urgently address the inad­equacy of the prison cells it already has and look to sig­ni­fic­antly reduce pop­u­la­tion num­bers so it can begin provid­ing safe, pro­duct­ive sen­tences for the people held in our jails.” Pub­lic accounts com­mit­tee chair Sir Geof­frey Clifton­Brown called the min­istry’s hand­ling of the lease of Dart­moor Prison an “abso­lute dis­grace, from top to bot­tom.” Its report found that £1.5m of the estim­ated £4m yearly cost of the now defunct prison would go to the royal fam­ily. The lease obliges HMPPS to pay annual rent of £1.5m to the Duchy of Corn­wall, which is part of the private assets of the Prince of Wales. Prison upkeep includ­ing secur­ity and addi­tional busi­ness rates make up the rest of the £4m yearly bill. The lease also obliges the HMPPS to make improve­ments to the site, which cost a total of about £68m.

In 2026, bthechange CIC, in association with Waythrough, will extend its highly effective Continuity of Care programme to HMP Bristol. The expansion reflects the programme’s proven impact in supporting people at critical points of transition from custody to community. By providing consistent, relationship-based support before and after release, the Continuity of Care model reduces gaps in provision, strengthens engagement with services, and improves outcomes for people leaving prison. Supporting People Through Transition Continuity of Care is designed to address one of the most vulnerable periods in the criminal justice journey: the transition from custody back into the community. The programme focuses on: Building trusted relationships prior to release Ensuring seamless handover to community-based support Reducing disengagement from services at the point of release Supporting stability, recovery, and long-term reintegration Delivered through partnership working, the model ensures that individuals are not required to repeatedly retell their story and that support remains consistent, culturally competent, and trauma-informed. A Partnership Built on Impact The extension of the programme to HMP Bristol builds on the strong working relationship between bthechange and Waythrough and responds to identified need within the system. It reflects shared values around dignity, inclusion, and recovery-focused practice, and a commitment to improving outcomes for people leaving custody. Looking Ahead As the programme expands in 2026, bthechange and Waythrough will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure support is responsive, joined-up, and rooted in lived experience and hearing the user voice. Further updates will be shared as implementation progresses.

bthechange CIC has been commissioned to deliver a CMI Level 5–aligned Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) training programme for 100 senior leaders, supporting the development of inclusive, confident, and accountable leadership across the organisation. The programme will be delivered through five full-day, in-person cohorts, this cohort-based approach has been intentionally designed to ensure depth of learning, high-quality facilitation, and meaningful engagement, while creating psychologically safe spaces for reflection, challenge, and growth. Aligned to the standards of the Chartered Management Institute, the programme will strengthen leadership capability by: Increasing legal literacy and understanding of EDI responsibilities Embedding inclusive leadership behaviours into everyday management practice Supporting the creation of psychologically safe, high-performing teams Enabling managers to respond confidently to challenge, conflict, and complexity A Proven, Transformational Approach The training draws on bthechange’s lived-experience-informed, trauma-aware, and values-led methodology, ensuring learning is grounded in real-world leadership contexts rather than abstract theory. Sessions will balance practical tools, reflective practice, and facilitated dialogue, enabling managers to translate learning directly into action. By partnering with bthechange, the organisation benefits from: Expert facilitators with deep experience across justice, public, and community systems A strong focus on behaviour change, not just compliance An approach that connects EDI to leadership, culture, wellbeing, and performance Evidence-informed practice that supports sustainable cultural transformation Building Inclusive Leadership at Scale This programme represents a significant investment in leadership capability and organisational culture. By equipping 100 managers with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to lead inclusively, the organisation is taking a clear and proactive step towards fairness, accountability, and long-term cultural change. bthechange looks forward to delivering this programme and supporting managers to lead with integrity, empathy, and impact.

bthechange to Deliver Pilot Programme Supporting Racial Equity in Welsh Prisons HMPPS Wales has commissioned a six-month pilot programme to strengthen trust, fairness, and accountability for ethnically diverse people in custody. The pilot will be delivered by bthechange CIC and will assess the viability of a longer-term commitment to independent service provision across Wales. The programme will focus on providing external scrutiny of Discriminatory Incident Report Forms (DIRFs) and supporting improved relationships between prison staff and ethnically diverse people in prison. It has been commissioned in response to inspection findings, assurance processes, and data highlighting disproportionality, perceptions of unfair treatment, and low confidence in internal discrimination reporting mechanisms. Why This Pilot Matters Evidence from inspections, surveys, and national data continues to show that ethnically diverse people are disproportionately represented in the prison system and experience lower levels of trust in complaint and redress processes. The pilot has been designed to respond directly to these challenges by addressing: Disproportionate representation Ethnically diverse groups make up a significantly higher proportion of the prison population than of the general population. Without effective oversight, this disproportionality risks being reinforced by unequal treatment and systemic bias. Low confidence in DIRF processes Inspection surveys consistently indicate that ethnically diverse people often lack trust in internal discrimination reporting mechanisms, with concerns that complaints are not taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, or followed up transparently. Inconsistent handling of discrimination reports Previous national audits have highlighted weaknesses in DIRF handling, including inconsistent recording, variable staff knowledge, and limited learning from incidents. These gaps contribute to ongoing marginalisation and disengagement. Impact on wellbeing and recovery Experiences of discrimination or perceived unfair treatment can have a profound impact on mental health, safety, and rehabilitation, increasing the risk of disengagement, poorer outcomes, and reoffending. Gaps in race-specific expertise The pilot recognises that staff often lack the time, training, or specialist support required to respond confidently and consistently to racial discrimination concerns. What the Pilot Will Do During the six-month period, bthechange will: Provide independent scrutiny and audit of DIRFs Identify patterns, gaps, and good practice in handling discrimination complaints Support improved confidence, transparency, and learning within the DIRF process Strengthen relationships between staff and ethnically diverse people in prison Produce learning that informs sustainable, system-wide improvement Looking Ahead This pilot will generate evidence to assess the impact and value of independent oversight in improving trust, outcomes, and confidence in discrimination reporting processes. Findings will inform decisions about longer-term service provision and wider implementation across Wales. bthechange welcomes the opportunity to support this work and remains committed to advancing racial equity, accountability, and culturally competent practice across the justice system. Further updates will be shared as the pilot progresses.

Our work sits at the point where people, systems, and power meet. Our focus is on strengthening what works, responding to what is failing, and shifting how the justice system listens, learns, and acts. We work across prisons, probation, and communities to support safer transitions from custody, fairer decision-making, and systems that are accountable to the people most affected by them. We know that the greatest harm occurs at moments of transition — when women leave prison without safe accommodation, when complaints are not trusted, when decisions are made without transparency, and when lived experience is absent from the rooms where power sits. Our priorities reflect these realities. Over the next three years, we will expand continuity of care for women leaving prison, scale procedural justice approaches that improve trust and legitimacy, and deepen our role in independent scrutiny across HMPPS. Alongside this, we will embed user voice within joint alliances, extend the Principled Space Model as a protected space for reflection and learning, and grow the Safe Haven initiative so fewer people are released into crisis. This is not about creating parallel systems. It is about working alongside statutory services to strengthen practice, challenge inequity, and support cultural change. Our ambition is practical, evidence-informed, and rooted in lived experience. Our success will mean fewer people falling through gaps, stronger accountability, and systems better equipped to respond with fairness, dignity, and care. 1. Expanding Continuity of Care for Women Leaving Prison We aim to significantly strengthen end-to-end continuity of care for women leaving custody, recognising the heightened risks during the first week’s post-release. Operational goals: • Extend continuity-of-care provision across additional women’s prisons and probation regions • Increase post-release support from 20 weeks to a flexible, needs-led model • Embed trauma-informed, culturally competent support as standard practice • Strengthen pathways into stable housing, healthcare, family support, and employment • Co-design services with women with lived experience to improve relevance and trust Outcome focus: Reduced recalls, improved stability, and safer transitions into community life. 2. Scaling the Procedural Justice Programme in Prisons We will expand our procedural justice programme to support fairer, more transparent, and more trusted prison environments. Operational goals: • Deliver procedural justice training in additional regional prisons • Support both operational staff and leadership teams to embed procedural fairness • Integrate procedural justice principles into induction, supervision, and culture change work • Develop evidence-based resources to support HMPPS culture and behaviour frameworks Outcome focus: Improved trust, legitimacy, and staff-prisoner relationships. 3. Expanding Independent Scrutiny Across HMPPS We will broaden our role as a trusted independent partner, providing external scrutiny that strengthens confidence, accountability, and learning. Operational goals: • Expand independent scrutiny activity across multiple HMPPS regions • Increase structured audits of complaint processes, discrimination reporting, and use of force • Support prisons to respond constructively to scrutiny through action planning and learning • Provide regular thematic insight reports to inform regional and national practice Outcome focus: Increased trust in systems, improved complaint handling, and reduced disproportionality. 4. Embedding User Voice in Joint Alliances and System Partnerships We will move beyond consultation to ensure user voice is embedded at every level of joint working and alliance activity. Operational goals: • Establish lived-experience representation within formal partnerships and alliances • Support people with lived experience to participate safely and meaningfully in system spaces • Embed feedback loops so user insight directly informs design, delivery, and review • Co-produce service improvements with communities most affected by the system Outcome focus: Services and systems shaped by those who experience them, not just those who manage them. 5. Expanding and Embedding the Principled Space Model The Principled Space Model will be a core mechanism for reflection, learning, and culture change across justice and community systems. Operational goals: • Deliver Principled Space sessions across prisons, probation, and community partners • Support organisations to embed Principled Spaces as a routine, protected practice • Train facilitators to ensure sustainability and fidelity to the model • Use Principled Spaces to address trauma, race, power, and organisational culture Outcome focus: Safer, more reflective systems capable of learning and change. 6. Growing the Safe Haven Initiative We will expand the Safe Haven initiative to ensure nobody that we are working leaves custody without immediate support when accommodation fails during the first week of release. Operational goals: • Increase Safe Haven capacity across additional geographic areas • Strengthen partnerships with probation, housing, and health services • Provide rapid, short-term accommodation alongside critical welfare support • Use Safe Haven data to influence longer-term housing solutions and policy change Outcome focus: Reduced homelessness on release and improved short-term safety and stability. Our Commitment Across all priorities, our 2026 ambition is to: Scale what works Hold systems to account Centre lived experience Build fairer, safer transitions from custody to community Josh Stunell – Founder & CEO

Substance misuse in prisons has been a long-standing issue. Traditional approaches to combat substance misuse in prisons have focussed on deterring prisoners and emphasised the use of punitive sanctions. Incentivised Substance Free Living wings (ISFLs) are prison wings where prisoners agree to abide by a set of requirements, including regular drug tests. Incentives (e.g. additional time out of cell, gym equipment, entertainment equipment) are offered for those residing on the wing. ISFLs aim to create a stable prison environment, which allows for the development of a supportive community in which prisoners live drug-free, and can better engage with treatment programmes and recovery. This study does not represent all ISFLs, but only those considered operationally effective. It focuses on safety and stability outcomes, not substance misuse, as these were viewed as essential foundations for ISFL success. Study Methods This innovative study utilised a waitlist randomised controlled trial which randomly assigned the order in which prisoners would move from a non-ISFL prison wing to an ISFLprison wing, in four prisons. Those randomised to the top half of the list formed the intervention group, and outcomes were compared to those in the control group. The primary outcome measure was time to involvement in an assault incident. This is used as a measure of prison wing stability and was measured over a 3- month period. For the intervention group this follow-up period began from the point of moving onto the ISFL (which was dependent upon spaces becoming available), for the control group follow-up began from the point of randomisation. Results were analysed using Bayesian survival regression. Results A total of 60 prisoners were involved in the final intention to treat analysis for our primary outcome measure (28 ISFL and 32 non-ISFL). Bayesian survival analysis estimated there Tackling Drug Misuse in Prisons: Impact evaluation of Incentivised Substance Free Living Wings to be a 93.1% probability that ISFLs have a beneficial effect of any magnitude, in terms of reducing assault incidents. Our analysis estimates, with 80% uncertainty, the size of reduction in assault incidents to be between 5% and 50%, with a median estimate of 31% – ISFL’s compared to non-ISFL’s. This means those on ISFL wings were 31% less likely to be involved in an assault incident compared to those on a non-ISFL wing. Similar effects were seen for self- harm (80% probability between 4% and 50% less likely to self-harm, with median at 31%) and disorder (80% probability between 6% and 51% less likely to be involved in a disorder incident, with median at 32%). Conclusions This study concludes that ISFLs have a high probability of providing a more stable environment for prisoners, compared to non-ISFL wings. It also demonstrates that randomised controlled trials are feasible within a frontline prison setting. This design should be considered by social researchers when developing evaluation plans in the future.

The Nearly a decade on… It’s a strange thing, stopping long enough to feel the weight of ten years. Most of that time has been lived in motion—fast, full, and often heavy. I’ve held people’s fears, hopes, anger, grief, and resilience. I’ve held systems that needed challenging and crises that needed containing. In truth, I’ve held far more than I ever imagined I would. When I look back, it’s not the achievements or the public moments that rise to the surface. It’s the personal ones—the times when someone allowed me into their world, trusted me with their story, or let me stand with them in the hardest parts. Those moments shifted something in me. They changed the way I lead, the way I understand humanity, and the way I understand myself. The first decade has been a blend of purpose and pressure, pride and vulnerability, confidence and doubt. I’m proud of what’s been built, but I’m equally aware that so much of it has been shaped by the people who’ve walked alongside me. Leadership has forced me to confront who I am—what I carry well, what I carry badly, and what I carry too quietly. I’ve discovered resilience I didn’t know I had, but I’ve also met the edges of my own limits. None of this has been easy. How could it be, when the work sits at the intersection of trauma, racism, inequality, and systems that often resist change? But even when it’s been hard, it has been meaningful. And meaning has been the one constant—steadying me when the pace, the responsibility, or the emotion felt overwhelming. People, Values & the Journey Along the way, people have joined and left at different stages of our journey—each one bringing something of themselves, each one shaping who we have become. Staff, volunteers, partners, and collaborators have all left their fingerprints on this organisation. Their energy, perspectives, courage, and challenges have influenced how we’ve built, understood, and lived our values. In many ways, bthechange has felt less like an organisation and more like a long, unfolding train journey. There’s no final destination—no point of arrival where the work is suddenly complete or the mission fulfilled. People step on for a while, step off when their part of the journey ends, and each transition changes the feel of the carriage—sometimes subtly, sometimes profoundly. And perhaps that’s the real challenge ahead: learning to appreciate the journey for what it is. Paying attention to who is with us. Valuing what we’re learning together. Staying faithful to the values that define us—consistently, courageously, and with intention—as the train continues to move. Thinking About the Future Looking ahead to the next decade feels both daunting and energising. I can see now how much of the last ten years were spent in response mode—stepping in, stepping forward, stepping up, often because I felt I had to, or because the situation demanded it, or because I didn’t know how to stop. The next ten years could be something different. They could be an invitation to lead from a more grounded place: • More strategically • More spaciously • With clearer boundaries • With a stronger sense of what only I should hold, and what others can grow into There is something powerful about the idea of building with intention rather than urgency. If I had true space—real, unfiltered space—I’d want to reflect not just on what I’ve done, but on who I’m becoming. Drive, Energy & Focus My energy is layered right now. There is tiredness—real, honest tiredness—because the last 18 months have been some of the most stretching of my career. Growth, transition, new demands, new responsibilities… at times it has felt like learning to breathe again between waves. But beneath that fatigue, there is something steadier. A new kind of momentum. One that isn’t frantic. One that isn’t fuelled by fire-fighting or crisis. It’s calmer. More deliberate. More rooted. There’s new leadership around me, new structure emerging, and a clearer sense of what is mine to hold and what isn’t. I feel more grounded heading into this next year than I have in a long time—more aware of what needs to shift, more honest about where I need support, and more determined to make the next phase sustainable, not just impactful. The energy feels different now. More mature. Less reactive. More intentional. It feels like moving from a sprint into a long-distance run—steady, committed, focused on the horizon rather than the next obstacle. Looking Ahead with Intent If the first decade was about building, surviving, and responding, maybe the next decade can be about shaping, influencing, and creating space—for others, yes, but also for myself. And when I strip everything back, the deepest truth is the simplest one: I’m still here. Still learning. Still evolving. Still committed. And still hopeful—sometimes stubbornly, sometimes quietly—that real change is possible. That hope has carried me this far. I think it will carry me through the next ten years too. Josh Stunell Founder & CEO bthechange CIC