Touch screen tablet technology

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to share the successful results I have achieved in using a touch screen tablet in one-to-one sessions with offenders. I will be describing my setting and the background to my decision to begin this pilot project. I will refer to some of the research and evidence that underpins my reasons for opting for this multi-sensory and pro-active learning tool. The article will outline some of the approaches and programmes that can be used and will suggest how they could be collated for multiple use by others. In addition, the results of a survey undertaken with offenders and their comments will be included. ¹

My setting and the nature of offenders I work with

I have worked for the probation service for over 10 years. My current role is an OM (offender manager). I also practice as a professional counsellor and am a part-time lecturer at a local college. I work with an enthusiastic and committed team in a coastal town in the south of England. Most of my work with offenders is around drug and alcohol use and emotional and behavioural issues. This is Brief Intervention work which means that a Court Order has been given to an offender as a sentence, or part of one, which will stipulate six mandatory sessions of alcohol intervention education. So it is important to engage quickly with the offender to establish an effective working relationship. Many of these offenders are resistant and effecting change can be difficult.

Recent research for the Ministry of Justice highlights that: a practitioner needs to be able to tailor their approach to the learning style of each offender (Carter et al., 2011: 1). The article also states that:

brain friendly approaches encourage ‘active learning’ which can take place at external and internal levels … Learning can still be active even if the learner is still. By using a range of methods, interventions can be personalised to engage the learners more fully, and greater chances of the learning generalising out of the room. (Carter et al., 2011: 2)

In common with most working in criminal justice, we find that many of our offenders are dyslexic or have serious literacy problems and they struggle to put sentences together or to find the right words to express themselves. The results of research by the National Literacy Trust shows that:

60% of the prison population is said to have difficulties in basic literacy skills. These findings build on existing results from a prison service study, which asks prisoners on reception to take a literacy test devised by the Basic Skills Agency. The test is approximately equivalent to the reading skills expected of 9 to 10-year-olds. The 1998 results showed that 60% had problems with literacy, and 40% had severe literacy problems. (Clark and Dugdale, 2008: 6)

It is important, when working with offenders with these kinds of literacy and learning challenges, to present ideas and concepts in small chunks at a time in order for them to be able to process them. This is equally true for those who have short-term memory problems or who do not have English as their first language. We find that the concentration span for many individuals can be very short. This may be because of poor education, mental health issues or be related to drug and alcohol use.

Often, we overburden offenders with bland, black and white material with too many words and numbers that they find hard to follow and do not find interesting. We are living in a digital age where access to interactive, colour imagery is commonplace. In 2011 an Ofcom survey reported that nearly 27 per cent of adults and 47 per cent of teenagers of the UK population now owns a Smartphone (Ofcom News Bulletin, 2011). The sales of Smart phones are increasing annually and touch screen technology is a norm for many. Young offenders, in particular, have grown up in this world of computers and gadgets.

Getting started with the touch screen technology

As soon as I began using the touch screen tablet, the impact was remarkable. I found that the offenders were really enthusiastic, and I observed a heightened interest in the materials I was showing them with much more focus and engagement. I used many of the diagrams and tools such as ‘Traffic Lights’ ‘Red flags, Green Flags’ that I have commonly used before, but I found that recreating them in colour and then bringing in the interactive element made a huge difference in catching the attention of the offenders. The touch screen is user friendly. So, as a practitioner, I could choose pre-set diagrams, tables or images in advance for a session. These I could then add to as I worked with an individual. Allowing the offenders to contribute or type in their personal information and comments as I went, added greatly to their involvement in the session. This was particularly helpful when they were identifying, for example, their own high risk situations, where they could find positive support and for action planning.

An additional benefit was that the clear nature of the material presented left the offender with visual images that they could mull over in between appointments. It enabled them to think about what they did and the choices they made in a variety of different ways, and how to apply the principles of their learning in real life situations. Often I found that offenders would remember something from a previous session and want to talk more about it. It was also noticeable that, at the conclusion of my part of their supervision order, the offenders were more able to recall the areas we had covered. Another way in which the tablet came in to its own was with the more creative offenders who found they could express their ideas using graphics, drawing tools and art apps. Talking about the images they had created and what they meant to them was a very positive experience both for the offender and for me. The use of the tablet is also a great tool for visual learners, offering them a completely new opportunity to learn in a way that is best for them.

The tools and programmes

I am not greatly skilled in using graphics programmes, but I found it was quite easy and quick to create tables, images, boxes and arrows, etc., to create a simple diagram as a learning tool and then animate them as needed. Depending on the sort of tablet being used, ² PowerPoint or Keynotes are among those that can be animated, but, equally, a table or chart or flow diagram created in a Word or pdf document can also be effective. This is one example of a table that can be typed into during the session.

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Figure 1.

An example of a table that could be typed into for focused work during a session.

I found it was helpful to build up a library of material that can be used again and again. Personalized versions created during a session can then either be saved in a named folder for an offender or deleted. If they are saved, the offender can see what they have worked on over a period of time, which can highlight their progress. It is also helpful to have saved material to come back to as revision at the start of a session. These generalized materials can be saved as templates in a folder and then made available for anyone wanting to access them.

Best practice for pro-social modeling would offer a choice to work with the new technology or to work in another way. It may be that an offender might be fearful or reluctant to use a tablet or not have the confidence to do so. Alternatively, he/she might have concerns about data confidentiality. In all cases it is imperative that choice should be offered.

Survey and feedback

The offenders were, without exception enthusiastic about working with touch screen technology in this way as shown in some of their comments:

‘It helped me engage more with my probation officer.’

‘It's much more interesting than paper and it's a change to see up 2 date technology.’

‘It helped me understand my issues clearly.’

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Figure 2.

Evaluation results from survey of offenders using the iPad.

I conducted a small survey with the offenders on the pilot project using statements that they were asked to score 1−5; where 1 = Not at all and 5 = Greatly. The results confirmed my observations, and I noted that not only was the level of understanding greater but also how the action of personalizing the material had evidently made an impact on the offenders. The reason for the size of the sample was because it was based on my case load at the time of offenders on Brief Intervention. Further surveys in the future would be conducted with a greater number of offenders and a control model for a more empirical evaluation. Within the sample group there were male and female offenders and some with learning difficulties, including dyslexia. The use of the tablet proved to be good inclusive practice.

Conclusion

This has been a worthwhile pilot project that has been so successful that managers hope to extend the use of tablets to the whole office. However, some may question the use of technology in this way and have concerns that it might become more important than the engagement itself. I would argue that it is just a tool for effective work. It is not about replacing the role of staff but about enhancing their effectiveness in engaging with offenders in a creative way to improve upon and complement good practice already in place. In my opinion, the use of up-to-date technology is showing offenders that the probation service is able to move with the times. If this approach can help an individual to engage better with their offender manager or probation officer and to develop a non-criminogenic lifestyle then surely it is an avenue worth pursuing.