Probationary is a co-produced artwork that takes the form of a board game which aims to offer new insights into the lived experiences of those on licence to probation. • Drawing on understandings of ‘serious games’ and ‘artivism’ this work led to questions about how stakeholders and the public learn about the impact of public policy and how this might inform change. • Playing the game of Probationary is to engage with the lived-experiences of probation on an emotional level. This coincides with recent appraisals of the probation system that call for a critical understanding that is guided by empathy. • At the end of the piloting phases of this project, future aspirations include drawing upon the transformative potential of this approach to research as a tool for penal reform
