Arts and Rehabilitation

Since our prisons (usually) claim that the goal of incarceration is rehabilitation, they should offer opportunities for creative expression. The arts are an important form of both training and therapy, they offer avenues for self-expression while also helping artistically inclined prisoners develop skills they can continue to explore and use after release.

Former prisoner Erwin James writes about prison issues for the Guardian; I’ve linked to his great reporting here before. This week, he writes about three winners of a playwriting contest for prisoners in the U.K., sponsored by theater group Synergy, which conducts playwrite training in British prisons and uses theater as a tool for crime prevention.

James tells of three exceptional plays by prisoners, two of whom weren't at the event because they couldn't be released for the event. The winner, David, got permission to attend, however. He took the stage at the Royal Court Theater to thank the audience and Synergy for supporting his work. “Thank you for shining a light in a dark place,” he said.

If you know a prisoner with writing talent, please encourage them to submit stories to Think Outside the Cell, which is hosting a writing contest with Resilience Multimedia and the Ford Foundation. More information is here, and the contest is open to prisoners, former prisoners and their loved ones.

Celebrity actors also have the unique power to bring their spotlight to this issue through theater and the arts. Last month, Benicio del Toro (above, in cap) visited a Puerto Rican prison to support a theater group for prisoners.

“I believe everyone needs a second chance,” del Toro told 30 inmates who take part in the theater group at Bayamon Regional Prison in San Juan. “I am here to help reaffirm that as long as there is life, you can still help society in some way, you can improve yourself.”