Kirstin Anderson

Kirstin is currently working on a number of research projects including, ‘Examining the health and well-being of older people with cognitive frailty and dementia in prison’, funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust; ‘Stories of Social Justice in a time of State Building’, funded by the British Academy and ‘Communication through music: Mothers and babies in prison’, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, her thesis Music Education and Experience in Scottish Prisons contributes to the developing research on the benefits of arts provision for people in custody and provides a baseline for further work on music education in Scottish prisons.

Kirstin taught music at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Scotland, designed a workbook on teaching music in prisons as part of a Knowledge Transfer grant from the University of Edinburgh and was the lead researcher on the national project Inspiring Change in 2010. She has worked as a researcher with the Scottish Prison Service, the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development and the Scottish Human Rights Commission.