[2] It promotes the arts in prisons, secure hospitals, immigration centres and in the community, encouraging creativity and the acquisition of new skills as a means to rehabilitation.

[4] Koestler's experiences in prison led him to write Darkness at Noon and newspaper articles campaigning for the abolition of capital punishment in the 1950s.

All entrants receive a certificate and written feedback on their work, and each category is judged by panels of experts from the art world, with prizes ranging from £25 to £100 (as of the 2018 awards).

Recent curators of the UK exhibition include Grayson Perry,[8] Sarah Lucas, Anthony Gormley, Speech Debelle and Jeremy Deller as well as victims of crime, magistrates, women prisoners and ex-prisoners.

[11] The charity has also held exhibitions as part of the annual Edinburgh Festival which involved work from people in Scottish prisons and secure units.

[13][14] Artwork by the prisoners and others is available for sale direct to the public through the trust's exhibitions, with proceeds split between the Artists (50%), Victim Support (25%) and the charity (25%).

[16] Each year the charity holds an annual award exhibition at the Southbank Centre, London, for which a themed category is suggested for prisoners to submit art works during the preceding months.