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If you have a question, problem or dilemma you'd like members of Anne Peaker Centre to help you with, please send us an email to info@apcentre.org.uk or log in to submit a question.

Question:

Several members have been in touch to find out why Awards for All have been giving grants for the use of arts in prisons in some regions, but not in others. Typically, the reason for rejection given was that arts education is "an educational service and therefore something prisons have an statutory obligation to provide".

Answer:

It seems that regional offices are allowed to interpret central policy to some degree in order to acheive their regional objectives and funnel funding into key areas. Awards for all have been contacted and an investigation is underway. Watch this space.

Question:

Our drama company is working on a new production that deals with the lives of offenders and ex - offenders. We would like to take it on tour in prisons in the future, and possibly involve offenders in participation of it. We are also in need of funding to support this production and its tour, do you have any suggestions?

Answer:

Theatre companies which may be useful for you to refer to include:

Clean Break: http://www.cleanbreak.org.uk/ 020 7482 8600
Geese Theatre: http://www.geese.co.uk/ 0121 446 4370
Synergy Theatre: http://www.synergytheatreproject.co.uk/ 0208 870 2112
TiPP (Theatre in Prisons and Probation) http://www.tipp.org.uk/ 0161 275 3047

By visiting their websites you will get an idea of how similar projects to yours have been funded in the past, and also some of the prisons which tend to be receptive towards such work.

Some funders who have a major interest in the arts include:

Other funders worth looking into may be:

Since you mentioned this is a newish area to you and your company I will also recommend a couple of publications that we have published which serve as introductions to the arts in criminal justice sector, deatails of which are on our website at http://www.apcentre.org.uk/site/apc_publications.htm. Particularly recommended is 'The Handbook for Artists', a guide to the workings of prisons and preparing yourself for working in this challenging and particular environment.

Anne Peaker Centre distributes a fortnightly enews bulletin which keeps the arts in criminal justice sector updated with news, events, training, funding and job opportunities. If you or any one you know would like to be added to our mailing list just send an email entitled 'subscribe' to info@apcentre.org.uk.

Best of luck and every success with your projects.

Question:

I'm a final year student and am starting my dissertation. I am interested in focusing my work on how drama therapy can help in rehabilitation of offenders. I wondered if it would be possible for you to help me in any way by giving me any information which may help my research in this area or at least be able to point me in the right direction.

Answer:

There are a couple of highly recommended books which address the use and benefits of the arts, including drama, in the rehabilitation of offenders.
The Handbook for Artists is a quite practical guide which gives some background of past projects run in prisons and the difficulties and successes experienced, as well as plenty of insight into how artists can begin to understand the very particular world that prisons are and how they can make their projects successful.
'Doing the Arts Justice' is a more facts and statistics based publication which serves to evaluate arts projects that have been run in prisons and their impact on those involved. This book can be downloaded from our website at: http://www.apcentre.org.uk/publications/publications. There are more details and their cost below, to order just send a cheque plus £1 P&P per book to Anne Peaker Centre, Neville House, 90-91 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BA.

There are lots of theatre companies which run schemes with (ex)offenders, whose work may also be of use to you. There are evaluations of some of their work on our website at http://www.apcentre.org.uk/research/73 and also contact details in the 'Organisations and Artists' section on the site's lefthand toolbar.
Companies which are generally considered the main players in the use of drama with offenders include Clean Break, Geese Theatre, Synergy Theatre, Noh Budget Films, and TiPP.

All the best for your studies.

Question:

I work in the music industry as a promoter to a successful up and coming violinist, and am seeking advice on how I could arrange a tour of prisons for her.

Answer:

The best way of organising your tour would be to contact prisons individually. Contact details of all UK prisons can be found on this website. By taking a look at our site you will also gain an idea of a few of the prisons which have been receptive to arts based activities in the past.

Anne Peaker Centre distributes a fortnightly enews bulletin containing events, activities and news from the arts in criminal justice sector; if you would like some information on your planned tour to be included in this, feel free to send the appropriate information to info@apcentre.org.uk. This could support your applications to prisons as a kind of advertising opportunity, and could also serve as publicity once the tour is under way.

Question:

I am a Movement Psychotherapist and have recently qualified as a registered therapist and completed my final placement within a prison.

I am continuing my work there providing movement psychotherapy for male inmates supporting their understanding of their current situation and how movement can be a means of expressing and communicating what we think and feel.

In helping them channel their feelings through movement they can address and recognize how to work through particular issues, identify how to support their own learning and how to use their body as a communicative tool to address anger, sadness or frustration etc. As well as the added benefits of physical fitness, developing self esteem, motivation and offering group and individual opportunities to feel heard.

I have found over the past year during my studies for this therapy to be very effective and popular with some of the inmates, although unfortunately I did not have enough placement time to increase my client load. By organizing funding for this therapy, it would mean that I would be able to assess and see more clients who would benefit from movement psychotherapy.

I am wondering how we would go about applying for funding to continue this work within the Prison?

Answer:

As you may have seen on our website there are many organisations out there that are worth researching regarding your funding needs, all their details are there online for you. Particular organisations who you may find are currently funding projects and schemes such as your own include LanKelly Chase Foundation, whose 'Offenders and Society' programme seeks to help 'Projects which involve prisoners in the arts, principally dance or drama, with a view to strengthening self esteem and self-understanding.' Details of conditions of funding by them can be found at http://www.lankellychase.org.uk/Guidelines%20v7.pdf.

Many foundations do not offer funding to individuals and can only support applications from registered charities or companies. If you have any affiliations with one of these the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk) or John Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust (www.jpgettytrust.org.uk) may be of use to you as they do offer priorities to the theraputic use of the arts with social groups such as prisoners.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation does offer grants to individuals working within the arts, again, there are many exclusions to what they will fund but I think it will be worth visiting their site, www.phf.org.uk to see if what they offer is along the right lines for you.

I hope this is of some help to you, and wish you every sucess in your future work.

Question:

I am contacting you with regards to any current vacancies you may have for facilitators/teachers of art withim the criminal justice sector? I am a practising artist myself and I have a first class honours Fine Art degree and have just completed a full time Pgce course in Post Compulsory Education... I am also able to offer dance (Ballroom, Latin American). I live near Mold, North Wales, but am able to relocate. Please could you email any further information as to current/future vacancies... I am also willing to take on voluntary work/workshop experience.

Answer:

Anne Peaker Centre is not itself a frontline organisation - we are very limited in the amount of direct work with offenders we can partake in as we run as more of a support agency providing information services, events and support to those working in more frontline positions.

I would therefore suggest that it is these more frontline organisations you need to get in touch with - you can search through them by region or art form on this website; all their website and contact details can be found by clicking on the company names there.

If you wish can be added to the contacts list of our fortnightly enews bulletin, which provides updates on events, training, news, funding and job opportunites in the sector.

Best of luck with your career.

Question:

I am teaching a creative writing course in a prison. I have ten students who are writing poetry and short stories on a seven-week course, three days a week, and when this course finishes, I expect to be taking another group for a similar length of time.

I would like any information you have about how to direct the students to sources which might help them to publish their work. As you might expect, I am organising a short private print run for internal consumption, and some of the stories will be illustrated. I have a few leads for writing competitions, and prison magazines, but your website suggested that you might be a good source for advice and guidance for would-be writers.

Answer:

The main contact I would refer you to if you do not know them already is the Writers in Prisons Network (www.writersinprisonsnetwork.org.uk), who are usually very forthcoming with information. Their website refers to a company called New Leaf Books (www.newleafbooks.org.uk) who in the past have published quite a few books and compilations of stories written by offenders, so you may find them to be a useful contact also.

There is also Apples and Snakes (www.applesandsnakes.org), who are a company that primarily work with poetry, and have a good website that has a large section suggesting literature organisations and publishing contacts.

Pretty much all the other information I can give you is on our website for (ex) offenders www.artsontheout.co.uk, which has a section dedicated to getting started in writing as a career. There do not appear to be many opportunities out there specifically dedicated to enabling offenders to publish their work other than through the channels you have already identified such as prison magazines and various competitions such as the Koestler Awards. Resources which may be of use are The Writers Handbook and the Writers and Artists Yearbook, which are really useful and supportive guides for anyone looking to find publishing opportunities.

Anne Peaker Centre distributes an enews bulletin every fortnight which includes updates on events, training, news and funding within the arts in prisons sector; if you wish I can add you to the contacts list as you never know what opportunities for this sort of thing will come up in the future.

Question:

I am carrying out some research and am seeking to get in touch with performing arts organisations that work with 16-25 year olds who are at risk or socially excluded. London/South East and the East, places like Essex, Luton, Cambridge, are of particular interest to us for social reasons.

Answer:

The best search you can do on our site to find the information you need is to either search by artform or area in the list on the left of the home page. Once there, you can click on each company name to bring up more info and contact details including websites.

Organisations I think will be most relevent to your research (and that I think will be forthcoming with information) should be Apples and Snakes, Escape Artists, Geese Theatre, Irene Taylor Trust (Music in Prisons), Noh Budget Films, and Dance United. If you do contact any organisations it would be great if you could mention that you were put in touch with them through Anne Peaker Centre.

Do let me know if there is any more information I can provide if needed, and please keep us informed of the progress of your work; we would love to recieve a copy of the end result if possible.

Best of luck with the study.

Question:

I am interested in becoming involved in working with prisoners in music projects, do you have any suggestions?

Answer:

A The best and most useful way to gain experience is to do some work with one of the larger organisations who run music projects in prison. If you search the directory on this site (on the left hand side of the page), you can view the functions and contact details of many of the organisations in the sector, sorting by region or by art form. For music projects, the best people to approach would probably be the Irene Taylor Trust- 'Music in Prisons', or Good Vibrations, who run gamelan music workshops. I am not sure of where you are based, but there is a very good organisation in the South East called 'Music for Change' with whom you could also make contact; their website is www.musicforchange.org. It may also be worthwhile contacting Sound Connections, who are an umbrella group supporting musicians who work with community groups and in prisons; they may know of more specific opportunities.

A publication which would be particularly helpful is 'The Handbook for Artists'. This book is aimed at practitioners who are beginning work in prisons, and draws together best practice, ideas for group activities, and guidelines to make sure you conform with prison regulations. It has lots of case studies of successful projects from the sector, and answers any questions you may have about prison life and procedures. The book is priced at £24.99 for non-members of Anne Peaker Centre, or £19.99 for our members, plus £1 postage. If you think this would be useful, please get in touch.

The other more direct route of beginning work in prisons is to make contact with the Head of Learning and Skills at the institutions local to you. Arts provision, and acceptance of the arts in general varies so much from prison to prison, and so the only way is to enquiries with several places to see if there are any opportunities available.

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