An exploration of prisoners’ experience of the therapeutic effects of art therapy, whilst engaging in a prison-based therapeutic community

Existing research into Art Therapy has highlighted a number of therapeutic outcomes and positive experiences. Limited research into Art Therapy in prisons has been completed, therefore, this study aimed to explore the experience of Art Therapy for those prisoners engaged in a Therapeutic Community (TC), designed to reduce risk of re-offending. Ethics was approved by the prison Research Ethics Committee (REC). Nine participants volunteered and were interviewed regarding their Art Therapy experience. Thematic analysis was used to identify three themes related to their experience; ‘Difference’, ‘Group Conditions’ and ‘Self-Development’. Overall, participants reported positive experiences of Art Therapy. They described Art Therapy as providing a different space and ‘Group Conditions’, which seemed to enable them to undertake risk reduction work and aided ‘Self-Development’ related to confidence, exploration and expression, and increased understanding of themselves and others. Limitations were identified relating to the under-representation of those who had withdrawn from Art Therapy or had engaged with a different Art Therapist. Future research of Art Therapy experiences on other TCs and more in-depth exploration of specific elements of their experience, could be undertaken.