Our Impact
Our Impact
How does art help prisoners?
The impact of arts in prisons is broad, often providing a springboard for positive change. Engaging with art and creativity can help prisoners, secure hospital patients and immigration detainees to learn new skills and gain the confidence to live positive and productive lives, helping them on their rehabilitative journeys.
Evidence suggests that engaging in the arts can also improve wellbeing, family connections, motivation and resilience, and provide opportunities for self-reflection and education.
I was a violent man, I was a drug addict, but now I’m an artist
Former Koestler Arts Mentee
Without creative outlets within the prison system, I think I would not have been able to cope with the stresses and strains of the often negative and hostile environment. Being creative has opened up new avenues of progression that I did not previously know existed.
Koestler Awards entrant
Art in Prison
The annual Koestler Awards are simple and powerful. We reward achievement, build self-confidence and open new horizons.
All Koestler Awards entrants receive feedback and recognition for their creative achievements.
For many entrants, external encouragement can be a vital stepping stone in building self-confidence, positive relationships and greater engagement with education. In 2021-22, 89% of our entrants told us that entering the Koestler Awards improved their self-confidence.
Artists whose work is chosen for exhibitions have the opportunity to celebrate their achievements with family and friends at our family days, helping to build and reinforce the relationships which are vital to rehabilitation and resettlement.
I had worked so hard trying to earn a place in your exhibition last year. I set a goal, promising my mum I would give it everything I’ve got and when you invited her, that meant I had actually set myself a target and reached it, and I’ve never done that before. The sense of self-worth that has given me is a big part of the reason I’m doing so well now[…] It has changed the way I look at myself and the way others look at me.
Exhibited artist, 2018
Read more about the impact of the Koestler Awards [PDF}
Continued support for ex-prisoners
Our arts mentoring scheme pairs recently released prisoners with arts professionals to support them in continuing their creative practice in the community. Each year we also provide employment and valuable work experience for 6–8 ex-prisoners through our exhibition host programme. Hosts develop and refine vital workplace skills and can share with audiences the impact of art rehabilitation in prisons.
Read more about the impact of our ex-prisoner arts mentoring [PDF]
Changing public perceptions
It is important for us to engage the public in our work. All our exhibitions are free to attend and feature Audience Feedback Cards, on which visitors can write feedback about the exhibited artworks. These cards are sent directly to the artists and build a connection between Koestler Awards entrants and people outside prison.
We are proud to have a relationship with Victim Support, the charity that supports victims of crime. When we sell artworks on behalf of our entrants, a donation of 25% is made to Victim Support.
Measuring the effectiveness of art in prisons
At Koestler Arts, evaluation is built-in to all our projects and events and we use academic research and in-house reports to inform the work that we do encouraging participation in the arts in the criminal justice system.
