Art as Liberation: Rehabilitating and Empowering Incarcerated Youth through Art Therapy
- edwinmoisesluis
- Jun 4, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 5, 2023
Rehabilitating the Hearts and Minds of Incarcerated Individuals Through Art
Art Therapy with Juvenile Offenders
Delving into the utilization of art therapy within correctional facilities, specifically focusing on its effectiveness as an expressive modality for bolstering mental healthcare. Various art therapy interventions tailored to the needs of juvenile offenders were investigated, aiming to enhance their self-esteem, capitalize on their strengths, foster community engagement, facilitate interpersonal connections, and facilitate the processing of their traumatic experiences.
Research indicates that juvenile offenders frequently grapple with underlying mental health challenges, past and present traumatic experiences, and diminished self-esteem, all of which contribute to their involvement in criminal activities. Furthermore, the absence of adequate treatment for these underlying mental health issues can result in recidivism and give rise to additional serious problems such as substance abuse. By incorporating art therapy and other arts-based approaches, incarcerated juveniles can effectively address their trauma, facilitate personal healing, and establish a foundation for making more favorable choices, thereby expanding their perspectives beyond the confines of the criminal justice system.
Prevention Program
The arts present a valuable avenue for engaging at-risk and justice-involved youths, offering a means to address emotional challenges and problematic behaviors while simultaneously nurturing skill acquisition, talent development, and the expression of thoughts and ideas through creative and therapeutic means. Artistic endeavors can serve as a coping mechanism for navigating painful experiences, fostering resilience within these individuals. By engaging in artistic creation, youths can enhance their problem-solving abilities, autonomy, sense of purpose, and social competence. Furthermore, art has the potential to instill positive emotions and fortitude, empowering youths to perceive themselves as survivors rather than victims.
Arts-based programs can be strategically developed as preventative interventions, specifically targeting youths who have exhibited problem behaviors that put them at risk of encountering the juvenile justice system. By engaging in music, drama, dance, and visual arts, young individuals can draw attention to community issues, educate others about the advantages of crime prevention, and propose strategies to deter criminal activities. By harnessing their creative talents, arts and performances enable youths to cultivate a sense of identity, independence, discipline, and self-esteem. Furthermore, these initiatives contribute to the prevention and reduction of crime and violence among participating young artists and performers. Research indicates that students who actively participate in band, orchestra, chorus, or drama are significantly less inclined to drop out of school, face arrests, engage in substance abuse, or partake in binge drinking compared to their nonparticipating counterparts.
The Rehabilitative Power of Art Therapy
In 1997, Milligan conducted a noteworthy study exploring the utilization of art therapy among adolescents in a maximum security prison environment. Within this study, Milligan observed how art served as a constructive outlet for safely expressing anger among the youth. Expanding upon this concept, author Venable suggests that art therapy, art, and art education exist along a continuum, all potentially offering benefits when employed with incarcerated individuals. Venable further elaborates on the communicative power of art, emphasizing that engaging in any form of artistic expression enables access to visual language, providing a mental escape from the confines of confinement.
Artistic engagement extends its benefits not only to children but also to adult offenders within Colorado's prison system. Both independently and through formal programs, inmates have embraced art as a means of creative expression, yielding profound rehabilitative effects. Arts activities serve multiple purposes for inmates, including time utilization, personal growth, and the mentorship of fellow prisoners. In 1981, Franklin Martz, an inmate representing his peers, addressed the Colorado Department of Corrections, highlighting the transformative power of painting on the soul. Martz personally experienced the profound impact of art-making, utilizing painting as a vehicle to discover newfound meaning and purpose while incarcerated. By shifting his focus from engaging in illicit activities to pursuing painting and teaching fellow inmates, he garnered esteem within the prison community, fostering personal growth and contributing positively to the artistic ecosystem.
Sources:
https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/hip/art-therapy/#_ftn1
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