32 — January/February 2017 Corrections Today32 — January/February 2017 Corrections Today

Arts in Prison

“What you see tonight is entertainment,” said Brian Fischer, former commissioner at the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

(DOCCS). He was speaking to a crowd of community members invited to a maximum security for the inmate-run production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” “What I see is rehabilitation.”

When an arts-based, nonprofit organization claims to have developed a rehabilitation program that improves prison morale and safety, and causes the incarcerated population to act more respectfully, work more cooperatively, and build life skills to make it on the outside, many criminal justice experts shake their heads in disbelief. Nevertheless, Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA) accomplishes all that and more. Plus, they have the results to prove it: a five-year contract awarded by DOCCS; independently published research demonstrating fewer infractions and greater pursuit of higher education among the program participants; and a documented recidivism rate of less than 5 percent over three years postrelease.

While Sing Sing Correctional Facility was the birthplace of RTA in 1996 and benefits from its close proximity to New York City’s pool of creative talent, RTA has gradually expanded to other facilities including Green Haven, Fishkill, Woodbourne and Bedford Hills (New York’s only maximum-security prison for women) correctional facilities. RTA also has a sister program at Hong Kong’s maximum-security Stanley Prison.

In addition to classic, contemporary, original and musical productions, each of RTA’s operating prisons has a unique curriculum of workshops in a wide range of artistic mediums, such as improvisation, Shakespeare study, modern dance, playwriting, visual arts, Broadway show tunes and poetry. About 30 professional volunteer artists and educators, most with advanced degrees in various fields, facilitate these workshops.

Art for a changeInnovative reentry program shows off practical implicationsBy Hans Hallundbaek

Arts in prison provide inmates the opportunity to begin rebuilding their lives.

Photos courtesy Rehabilitation Through The Arts

All content and images are copyrighted by ACA, 2017, and may not be reprinted, altered, copied, transmitted or used in any way without written permission.

January/February 2016 Corrections Today — 33

It is helpful, for those who may not place much value on arts-focused programs, that each learned art form features different skill sets, applicable to all aspects of life, that go with it. For instance, dance teaches poise and focus; improvisation teaches thinking on one’s feet and listening to other ideas; visual arts encourage self-expression while cultivating observation skills and visual memory; and, among other skills, full-length theater productions develop goal-setting and problem-solving skills, practice in public speaking, accepting criticism, and working as a team.

Using the Skill WheelRTA uses a simple graphic tool called the “Skill

Wheel” to demonstrate how different art forms help develop specific life skills and how those skills are used inside or outside prison walls. Even DOCCS executives enjoy spinning this popular device! The Skill Wheel consists of two concentric circles: the inner circle, which describes eight of the art forms taught within the RTA program, and the outer circle, which lists various skills necessary for postrelease employment and family and community involvement.

So how can something like an improvisation workshop benefit job searching? The answer is found through the game-like structure of the wheel. One must simply rotate the circles so that “Improvisation” (on the inner circle) aligns with “Employment” (on the outer circle), and the rest is spelled out (see Skill Wheel). It is easy to relate “Thinking on your feet” or “Excelling under pressure” with a successful job interview, and, suddenly, it makes perfect sense to have inmates trained in improvisation classes. This exciting process can continue by rotating the circle to “Family,” and the other noted aspects of improvisation are aligned with necessary family-involvement skills, such as listening actively and building trust and healthy relationships. This tool helps expand the understanding that the arts can improve an inmate’s life in ways that may be unexpected, but are ultimately extremely important.

RTA has operated for 20 years in New York prisons, long enough to witness many prisoners — some of whom refer to themselves as “thugs in the yard” —

transform over the years into responsible, productive members of the prison and, later, the community. One may ask, “What is the secret behind this success?” Katherine Vockins, founder and executive director of RTA, said, “RTA is an effective, low-cost way to help people in prison become non-criminals because the process of modifying behavior is such a joyful experience.” These skills in performance and arts are engaging, stimulating and fun; however, they also teach serious skills, build confidence, and develop discipline and responsibility. There is a strong cognitive component taking place here: Prisoners analyze scenes and characters, expand their vocabulary, discover poetic meter, and learn new forms of writing. The act of memorizing a script, rehearsing songs or practicing dance steps helps instill these new skills and foster a new life outlook based on positive goals.

Through theater and literature, aside from the previously mentioned life skills gained, RTA helps teach inmates about cause and effect. Following a character through a narrative from beginning to end makes a person think. “If I do this, then this is what happens.”

Art for a changeInnovative reentry program shows off practical implicationsBy Hans Hallundbaek

The Skill Wheel makes clear the relationship between RTA activities and the skills learned from these activities. Turn the inside wheel to see how these life skills impact family, employment and community life.

SM

The Skill Wheel makes clear the relationship between RTA activities and the skills learned from these activities. Turn the inside wheel to see how these life skills impact family, employment and community life.

SM

The Skill Wheel makes clear the relationship between RTA activities and the skills learned from these activities. The inside wheel turns to show how these skills impact family, employment and community life.

34 — January/February 2017 Corrections Today

RTA programs also encourage inmates to imagine different ways a story can play out.

“Men and women stuck in a destructive behavior pattern have a hard time imagining other choices,” said Vockins. “One way we work on this is through Forum Theatre, in which a dramatic piece is performed up to a decisive moment, and then the audience tells the characters what to do …. For instance, a boy is being pressured to join a gang by threats against his sister and mother. What should he do? Join the gang? Go to an authority? Leave town? The actors improvise each possible scenario. Invariably, another solution — one that no one had immediately thought up — emerges.”

Using the arts as tools for cognitive behavior change is uniquely suited to the clientele in correctional facilities, as many individuals from this population have done poorly in traditional educational settings. However, the facts that academic achievement is not a requirement for this program and there are no rights or wrongs in art quickly level this playing field.

A profound impactThis idea is catching on. At a

recent White House meeting, Attorney General Loretta Lynch stated that while the importance of job training and educational opportunities for incarcerated people cannot be overstated, the arts serve a fundamental need as a creative outlet and form of self-expression, providing opportunities for collaboration, emotional growth and a more positive outlook.1 RTA has found that even in the best circumstances, when a prisoner has gained job skills or education, they have not necessarily developed the work habits or communication skills needed to do well in community life. The so-called “soft skills” that RTA develops are the missing link in successful reentry.

Vockins — the driving mind of this program who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York for her work in prison — is not the typical “bleeding-

Above and right: Inmates “can’t handle the truth” in their production of “A Few Good Men.”

Above and below: Music, art and theater are just a few of the enjoyable opportunities RTA provides in prison.

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heart do-gooder.” Having spent half her professional life in the business world, project evaluation, impact assessment, cost efficiency and evidence-based research are part of her regular vocabulary. She stated, “RTA is not run by artists or advocates, we are ‘prison-neutral’ with a long and respectful relationship with New York State’s DOCCS.”

RTA produces a major theatrical event at Sing Sing Correctional Facility each year, with two performances for the prison population and one for the 250 guests invited from the community.

In 2015, RTA produced “The Wizard of Oz” because the prisoners’ families were allowed to attend the guest performance for the first time, and this family-friendly performance seemed a good pick. This proved a big deal because it provided prisoners an opportunity to show their families the positive activities they are engaging in and an opportunity for families to find hope that their loved ones are truly changing.

After undergoing a security screening, families and guests were ushered into the Visitors’ Room — a room with all the theatrical ambiance of a hospital cafeteria. Here, a simple stage had been set up and a series of backdrops, from sepia paintings of a Kansas farm to a haunted forest and a magnificent Emerald City. When 16 tough, tattooed prisoners came rolling onstage in flowery frocks, tittering like Munchkins, the audience practically fell off their chairs. It delighted families to see their loved ones display talents they had never seen before, it thrilled the prisoners to show off the abilities they had only just discovered in themselves and it filled children with pride. As one little boy loudly proclaimed, “That’s my daddy up there!”

The audience sat on the edge of their seats, tissues in hand, as the play continued. When performers walked into the audience, chanting, “There’s no place like home,” they reached out to touch their family members, whose seating had been planned for this moment. Those tissues were put to good use.

But this performance was not without its own drama. Before the show started, the Cowardly Lion nervously paced backstage; he had not seen his mother for seven years, and tonight, she was coming to the performance. He felt tense, and like his character, his courage was slipping. His heart pounded as thoughts flooded his mind: How will she react? What will he say to her? But when she entered through the steel door and approached, her arms were open wide. The only words the Lion could utter, muffled in her embrace, were, “I am so sorry, I am so sorry.” That night, he gave his best performance as his mother beamed and applauded from her front row seat. After the show, he proudly declared, “I got my Mom back!”

Vockins, who had witnessed this scene, remarked, “This is what rehabilitation is all about — not about developing actors, but building community, taking responsibility for your crime, reconnecting with your humanity.” After 20 years in existence, RTA is convinced that the arts are so effective they deserve to be a key component of prisoner rehabilitation and reentry programming in correctional systems nationwide.

When an arts-based, nonprofit organization claims to have developed a rehabilitation program that improves prison morale and safety, causes the incarcerated population to act more respectfully and work more cooperatively, and helps prisoners build the life skills necessary to make it on the outside, many criminal justice experts shake their heads in disbelief.

When 16 tough, tattooed prisoners came rolling onstage in flowery frocks, tittering like Munchkins, the audience practically fell off their chairs.

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ENDNOTES1 Austin, R. L. Jr. (2015, Dec. 21). Criminal justice reform, innovation and the arts. Washington, DC: The White House. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/12/21/criminal-justice-reform-innovation-and-arts

Hans Hallundbaek is director of criminal justice at the Hudson River Presbytery.

Quotes on the RTA program

“RTA helps you think differently, so you act differently, so you get different results. To me, that’s the definition of rehabilitation.” — RTA participant, Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

“They [RTA facilitators] treat me like an individual that’s trying to learn, and that’s what made me want to learn, made me want to do right.” — RTA alumnus.

“Success breeds success. They feel good about themselves, they’ve accomplished something, now they’re going to try something else.” — Brian Fischer, former commissioner, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

“RTA has helped me cope with being in prison away from my loved ones. It helps me express my feeling and to stay strong no matter what’s going on at the time.” — RTA participant, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

“It helped me to see I can be someone else, a better person than I was a month ago, a week ago, or even just one day ago.” — RTA participant, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

“RTA is a place of respite. For three hours a week, I am not in prison; I am not a product of a dysfunctional family; I’m not from the projects; I’m anything I want to be.” — RTA participant, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

“RTA is about taking a chance, about doing the best you can and knowing that if you stumble, someone will be there to help you get through. However, that works two ways; you have to be there in case someone else stumbles, so quitting is not an option.” — RTA participant, Green Haven Correctional Facility.