THIS tightly woven Strictly Arts production, opening with a series of agonising sequences representing the victims’ tormented fates, initially focuses on the 1846 case of William Freeman, a black New York boy wrongly imprisoned.

Suffering from years of physical abuse that left him permanently brain damaged, on release he senselessly murdered four white people and was sentenced to be hanged, despite his lawyer's plea of insanity caused by his brutalisation in prison.

United by their abusive treatment by police and prison warders, the story of the other characters brings the story up to date with the 2016 death of black woman Sarah Reed in Holloway Prison. Debilitated by mental-health problems, her case revealed abject failings within the penal system.

Director Danile Sanderson and a talented cast of five deploy a range of theatrical styles and techniques to show just how far — or rather, how little — matters have progressed since Freeman's case.

Slick physical performances generate a beautifully modulated piece of drama that seamlessly slips from moments of heartfelt grief to righteous anger and energetic dance routines to still reflections, without ever being preachy or pedantic.

With statistics showing that the increasing rates of self-harm and suicides within British prisons and the officially recorded number of inmates with mental health problems stands at at least 10 per cent — but possibly as high as 90 per cent, according to a latest parliamentary report — this dynamic show could not be more timely.

Tours nationally until June 28, details: strictlyarts.co.uk