Charlotte has a background in criminology, where she researched the impact of court mandated programmes aimed to change people’s offending behaviour. She became dismayed at the deficits model of this work, and after seeing a talk on the historical social impact of quilt making started to consider whether, how and why people made creative things while being managed, punished and rehabilitated in criminal justice systems. She moved from evaluating how making might change people’s behaviour and sense of self, to using making while having difficult conversations with women about the harm done to them by others.

Through her current research, Charlotte is seeking to explore women’s narratives, lived experiences and understanding of crime, harm, care, leisure and community (re)belonging through participatory textile and mixed-media making. She will also document the practicalities of making inside prisons and if groups separated by varied boundaries are able to co-create work.

Charlotte has carried out research for the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance and has worked in criminal justice settings.