Author: Mitchell, Richard L.

Publication Year: 1977

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Abstract:

The Department (of Correctional Services) has two mandates: to maintain custody of inmates and to prepare them for reentry into society. The rehabilitation mandate calls for varied impressional and expressional activities. These activities should give inmates a more wholesome attitude toward living, the desire to be good citizens, and the skill to maintain themselves through honest labor. We are just beginning to explore these goals through the arts.

Incarceration is not intended to damage an individual so that he or she is committed to social retaliation. Yet the sights, sounds, and feel of sterile physical structures often do not reflect a civilized life. We are constantly seeking ideas and funds to mitigate the corrosive effect of facilities. Art can help us do this and more. It reinforces individuality, the absence of which constitutes repression. Through art, we organize our experience and share it with others. It is a humanizing activity, based on self-expression, which enhances self-esteem. Inmates obviously find the arts valuable, because artists in prisons are highly respected. (p. 38-41)

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Community Development