Rehabilitation through art

The Koestler Trust is possibly Britain's longest serving prison arts charity. It's been awarding, exhibiting and selling artworks by offenders, detainees and secure patients for 47 years Photograph: PR

A work entitled Universe No 2, painted by a prisoner at HMP Grendon and facilitated by the Koestler Trust Photograph: PR

Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates and sells their products. The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.

One prisoner who participated in the scheme said: 'I thought people would laugh and then I thought, well you get paid for it and it helps with keeping in contact with the children. The sewing’s so easy to do, that’s the best bit, because a lot of people in prison are illiterate ... But you teach them to count to 10 and they can do the sewing' Photograph: PR

Cell Work runs projects in 26 prisons, 80% of participants are men. 403 prisoners sew in their cells for between 20 and 40 hours a week. In 2008, the cell stitchers earned £61,890 between them. It has completed a number of prestigious embroidery projects including a commission from English Heritage to make cushions for Dover Castle Photograph: PR

Rideout (Creative Arts for Rehabilitation)
Architect and Stirling prize winner Will Alsop worked on Rideout’s Creative Prison project with staff and prisoners at HMP Gartree, for which they attempted to re-envisage prisons for the 21st century Photograph: PR

Synergy Theatre Project.
Synergy runs ex-offender-led workshops for young people aimed at cutting knife and gun crime and reducing the harm caused by gang culture. The theatre tours to schools and youth groups, with participants collaborating with the Police to chose a theme that compliments the community safety plan Photograph: PR

Synergy Theatre Project's Gun Point being performed at a school in Kennington, London, in 2008 Photograph: James Veysey/PR

Dance United
Working within the criminal justice sector, Dance United teaches contemporary dance to prisoners and young offenders in the community Photograph: PR

Dave Pope, from Bradford Youth Offending Team, says of Dance United: 'I've seen offenders working on building sites. I've seen offenders joining in team sports. I've seen them doing offending behaviour courses and anger management courses. Contemporary dance, much to my surprise, is the one thing where I have seen offenders make the most progress over the shortest period of time' Photograph: PR

A Music in Prisons project at HMP Bullingdon. An evaluation stated that '94% of participants did not offend during the time that they were involved in the project, and there was a 58% decrease in the offence rates of participants in the six months following the project compared with the offence rates in the six month period before the project began' Photograph: PR