Immediate Justice In Focus: Making it Out

Making It Out (MiO) were a recipient of grant funding from the Immediate Justice pilot and are a charity based in Brighton and Hove.

MiO has been set up to enable individuals, who may be moving on from prison, homelessness or addiction, to begin to change their current situation through regular engagement in creative-making activities.

The organisation sits between being a productive design and manufacture business and a support service for those in need of a more constructive use of their time. Through involving their participants in the process of designing and making a variety of artistic and innovative products, MiO equips individuals with the skills, motivation and confidence they need to build and maintain a more positive and stable future for themselves. 

CEO Mark Whaley established MiO after teaching art and design in HMP Ford and HMP Lewes. Mark was frustrated seeing the same faces returning to prison and strived to create an organisation that offered a more collaborative type of support, grounded within an enjoyable & creative work environment. 

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “The addition of Making it Out to our Immediate Justice programme has helped to strengthen our ties with local communities affected by anti-social behaviour. Mark and his team are fully embedded within Portslade and the surrounding areas, having a keen eye on zones requiring attention. In particular, the team are working to direct Immediate Justice referrals to clear a neglected area of land containing an historical artefact with the hope of restoring the space for the community and wider public. I look forward to seeing the progress of this project in the future.” 

Speaking about the importance of the collaborative work between Immediate Justice and Making it Out, Mark mentions: We’re committed to the principle of supporting offenders to reduce the likelihood of further victims. Immediate Justice offers a chance to offer an early intervention and, hopefully, divert people to more positive uses of their time before more serious crimes are committed.

You can find out more about Making it Out and the progress of the Immediate Justice pilot in a short video below: