Example drama dissertation topic 5:

Role play and drama in a prison setting – lessons from probation?

Within the probation service programmes offered in Cambridgeshire’ role play plays a significant part in offender management – particularly with regards to crimes against the person and the acknowledgment of past misdeeds to future potential partners and employers. However’ neither role play nor drama is used to such an extent in the rehabilitation sessions organised for prisoners within correctional institutions. Arguing that this is a missed opportunity’ this dissertation seeks firstly to explain why there is a seeming lack of continuity in service provision and secondly’ through work with the education department of HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire’ seeks to evaluate inmates’ perceptions of the role that drama and role play could bring to them as they pay their debt to society and prepare to lead non-offending lives.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Balfour’ M. (2000).Drama’ masculinity and violence.Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance’ 5(1)’ pp. 9-21.
• Blacker’ J.’ Watson’ A. and Beech’ A. R. (2008). A combined drama-based and CBT approach to working with self-reported anger aggression. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health’ 18(2)’ pp. 129-137.
• Moore’ P. (1997). Acting out: Therapy for groups.Farnham: Ashgate.