Did you know that in the UK, 46% of people who leave prison reoffend within a year of being released? Behind this sobering statistic are real human beings with broken lives.
Unfortunately it’s often the most vulnerable people in society that get caught up in the cycle of crime. Hopelessness and a lack of self-belief perpetuate this problem - but this doesn't have to be the case.
We work with men, women and young people of all abilities and backgrounds. Our goal is to restore their confidence and enable them to break the cycle. Click here for our Vision and Values.
Currently we work in 18 prisons and 2 community hubs across the UK. We help over 500 prisoners and over 50 ex-prisoners each year.
Music has the power to unlock people's potential to change. It improves wellbeing and enables personal growth, which both aid rehabilitation.
Our Musicians-in-Residence are multi-instrumentalists and compassionate role models. They deliver group music sessions in prison and monthly sessions in the community.
In each session, 5 to 10 people learn and create different styles of music together. We create a safe place for people to express themselves and learn to collaborate with others. Over time, the group bonds and works toward goals such as recordings and performances.
We support people for as long as they need us in prison and upon release.
What we achieve
We achieve five main outcomes, proven to be essential to reducing reoffending. Our work increases; hope, self-esteem, resilience, belonging, and positive identity.
Ex-prisoners we have worked with over the past 10 years have a reoffending rate of less than 15%.
In 2016, participants in our sessions won a record 72 Koestler Awards. You can hear some of the great albums produced over the years here.
There have been many academic studies that show the effectiveness of our work, which you can view here.
