Apicco - Community Based Art

APICCO prison theatre project was founded in 2013 and officially registered as a company in 2017. APICCO works with prisoners and ex prisoners, as well as, researchers, professional artists and those which have been affected by the Criminal Justice system. APICCO mainly uses theatre, creative writing and spoken word, in order to challenge thinking, attitudes and challenging behaviours that have led to crime which contributes to the rehabilitation process. APICCO's artistic mission is to create and apply ground breaking projects which inspire change, by affecting the mentality and feelings of prisoners. Our projects focus on the re-integration of prisoners back into the community by decreasing the chances of re offending and contributing to desistance. People in the criminal justice system are often represented in a negative way, creating negative stereotypes especially in the media. During their time in prison not enough opportunity is given to prisoners to improve themselves as people and to truly reflect on the reasons why they should break the vicious cycle of crime. Upon leaving prison, prisoners are more likely to re-offend (and thus further increase re-offending crime rates), if they feel that they are socially excluded. Simultaneously, this makes them feel further away from the belief and notion that an alternative, positive future is possible. Through our work process of using theatre as a reformation tool, creative writing and art, it gives the opportunity to open up new future possibilities. Our work aims to not only have a trasformative effect on the people involved, but also in the wider community we live in. We believe that the people we work with are more than their crimes and want to apply our new projects, to also introduce new insights, maintain healthy family relationships, set realistic goals and show that a different future IS possible. By giving them a voice to express themselves and life experiences through our work, it will also improve the