After watching the film Bronson, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy. I realised that I had heard nothing about the notorious criminal Charles Bronson (aka. Michael Peterson) before. I must have been keeping my head pretty deep in the sand from what I have read about him since. He was jailed for armed robbery in 1974 and has committed a string of crimes behind bars, including hostage-taking, and rooftop protests and has spent much of his time in jail in solitary confinement. You can read more about him here. I was astounded and intrigued to find that he applied for (through Art Network) and received approval (by TFL) to show his work in the London Underground. It was displayed on the Tube at Angel station 26 April 2010 for two weeks.

Photograph: Art Below

Benjamin Moore, from Art Below, which displays art on the Tube, said the artwork was "unique". Mr Moore came into contact with Bronson through mutual friend Tom Hardy, who played the criminal in the 2009 film Bronson, which is based loosely on the prisoner's life.
He received a letter from Bronson saying he would like his work displayed on the network.
The artwork selected was one of about 60 pieces by Bronson that Mr Moore says he saw and was among only a few that made it through copy approval by TfL. This only made me more curious, so I searched for more of Bronson's works and came across them on the Art Below website. Here are a few of my favourites.

Image: Charles Bronson. Courtesy of Art Below

Image: Charles Bronson. Courtesy of Art Below

Image: Charles Bronson. Courtesy of Art Below

"There's a lot of madness and sadness in his work but what struck me was the humour," Mr Moore said. He says he thinks Bronson's artwork is unique because of the amount of time he has spent in confinement. The former bare-knuckle fighter has committed violent crimes in prison. "You'll never see any artwork like it because no artist is going to spend more than 36 years inside an incarcerated space." Mr Moore said that the art "comes from a place no one else will ever reach. In that sense it's quite dark. He's lived inside his mind for all that time." "His art and his physical training are the two things that have helped him survive mentally this long."

I also came across Bronson's own site of merchandise which showcases the first collection of the Bronsonwear range, featuring twenty-five high fashion and fight wear t-shirts. Fusing Randle’s inimitable hard-edged designs, with Bronson’s raw depictions of life on the inside, the collection positions high-quality fabrics and expert tailoring at its core, while capturing the very real physical power, mental strength and style that is Bronsonwear, through intricate applications running through each garment. This is most certainly attempting to glorify violence, which I find terrifying as I would hate this to be the only portrayal of his works to reach the masses.

From having the opportunity to view Bronson's works through Art Below I found I could appreciate the artwork and enjoy exploring the inside of his mind without feeling that he was benefiting financially in the process or that I was being manipulated into seeing the world through his eyes.

Another example of an exhibition along similar lines was 'Art by Offenders' at Southbank Centre, organised by The Koestler Trust. With around 130 exhibits created by inmates from prisons, young offenders institutions and secure hospitals across the UK, the Art by Offenders exhibition was a unique and intriguing show. It took place at the Southbank Centre from September through to early December 2011, and attracted plenty of attention from art lovers around London.

All artwork included in the exhibition was up for sale at the end of the show, proceeds were spilt between the artist and the Koestler Trust. 25 percent of the funds went to the charity Victim Support, which provides support for people affected by crime in the UK.

I do agree that to make our society safer, it pays to channel offenders' energies to positive ends, to build their self-worth and help them learn new skills, especially if money produced by it is also being fed back to victims of crime. The existence of the Koestler Trust demonstrates that the arts are an especially effective way of engaging with offenders who feel alienated from mainstream education and employment, and there is growing evidence that the arts are effective in changing offenders' lives.