Stigma, exclusion and access to community capital: Realising a therapeutic landscape of recovery Professor David Best Sheffield Hallam University / Turning Point

The central values of the Centre: - widening access to justice - promotion of human rights - ethics in legal practice - overcoming social injustice - enabling desistance and recovery - promoting criminal justice accountability The Centre has the following goals: - to impact on policy and provide advocacy - to innovate in teaching and education - to produce research and scholarship work - to support local, national and international projects and

Best and Laudet (2010) Social Recovery Capital Collective Recovery Capital Personal Recovery Capital

Dingle et al (2012): Personal, social and functional growth

Public perceptions of addicts – Phillips and Shaw (2013) Social distance study using vignettes Four populations: smokers, obese people, active and recovering addicts Addicts most discriminated against US population generally do not believe in ‘recovery’ This is negative recovery capital, particularly if it is true of professionals

Phillips and Shaw “Individuals who are actively using substances and even individuals in remission from substance misuse are still targets of significant stigma and social distancing”

Extending the stigma research to trainee professionals 303 criminal justice and allied health students across all three years at Sheffield Hallam Liaised with Lindsay Phillips about vignettes Amended to four new populations active or recovering / desisting: – Heroin addicts – Alcoholics – Violent drinkers – Child offenders

Social distance scores for four key groups

Implications Students do believe in the possibility of change to some extent However, this is not ubiquitous across all problem behaviours This does not change much over their period of study In other words, stereotypes and negative community capital remains intact

An innovative model: Jobs, Friends and Houses A social enterprise developed by Lancashire Police Blackpool is an area of significant deprivation and dislocation Standard treatment pathways but with increased emphasis on prison release (Gateways) The aim is to build a recovery community

Jobs, Friends and Houses Transforming the building stock in the town Physically building a recovery community Providing a recovery housing pathway Providing meaningful employment and training (8- week Build It Up course then 2-year apprenticeship) Increasing the visibility of recovery Create a sense of collective pride

JFH: Visible and recognisable identity

JFH clothing range!

Why is JFH so important? It is a collective social identity Participants can buy into the vision and the group dynamic It provides houses, skills, jobs and pride There are pathways to ‘real’ jobs It can engage individuals who have failed and been failed by the treatment system

A Facebook social network map of JFH

Social Identity Model of Recovery (SIMOR)

Recovery and desistance are social contracts that require personal and social change and community buy-in Communities can be therapeutic or hostile and get what they give JFH is a great opportunity to live social justice CONTACTS