Episode 1 - The role of art

As prison numbers in Britain continue to soar, Lucy Ash looks at what can be done to stop criminals re-offending.

In this three part series, Lucy travels across the world looking at schemes in business, arts and the natural world, which aim to stop prisoners coming back through the door.

Many psychologists argue that the arts help prisoners to acknowledge their guilt, confront their behaviour and recover self esteem. These are all essential steps in any rehabilitation process.

Lucy looks at Gamelan workshops run by a group called Good Vibrations which has worked in 17 different prisons across the UK.

She finds out how the use of Indonesian percussion builds team work and promotes calm, especially among mentally ill inmates who make up a large percentage of the prison population.

She also looks at how other schemes involving music and the visual arts in prison, can act as stepping stone to vocational training or numeracy and literacy classes.

Drama is also a very effective catalyst for promoting personal development and change.