Though the impacts of prison are fundamentally interwoven in the experiences of many communities, especially communities of color, mass incarceration in many ways remains invisible in the archival record and national consciousness and memory. In this project, Ithaka S+R, in collaboration with Wendy Jason from the Justice Arts Coalition (JAC), a…

The Florida State University (FSU)/Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Art Therapy in Prisons Program is contractually required to conduct an annual art exhibition of the participants' work. Originally to be held inside the institutions, it evolved into a single art exhibition at an annual state-wide conference for prison educators. This…

There are many young people living in various states of detention around the world right now. This article brings greater awareness to this group, reinforces their right to play, and provides promising strategies to support greater access to sport and physical activity in detention.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have profound effects on U.S. society. However, one group that is often forgotten in the public health debate and that is especially vulnerable to the spread of the virus and its adverse consequences is the 1.2 million incarcerated adults in U.S. federal and state prisons. The COVID-19…

The current study explored the attitudes of criminal justice students enrolled at a Midwestern university in the United States toward conjugal visitation programs. The data were collected through an online survey questionnaire consisting of 10 closed-ended and two open-ended questions, capturing responses from 110 students enrolled in five…

Ex-offenders in North America and Western Europe face major challenges when re-entering the job market and often remain unemployed for significant periods. Simultaneously, the relatively sparse existent literature regarding career counselling for ex-offenders often fails to incorporate recent research from other relevant fields. This article aims…

The affective domain is listed within Bloom's taxonomy as critical in human education, development, and healthy human behaviors (Durlak et al., 2011). This study examines empathy within the context of forgiveness to resolve lingering and painful emotions which could engender detrimental behaviors. Previous studies have shown that the act of…

Research suggests that whilst not more likely to offend, autistic people are overrepresented within the Criminal Justice System. To date, prevalence estimates are available only for male autistic offenders. Thus, this research aimed to provide the prison-reported rate of autistic female prisoners currently residing in the female prison estate in…

Relational art therapy implemented in a women's prison, as demonstrated by the Expressive Post program, illustrates a transformative method for overcoming psychological obstacles. Embedded in relational theory and response-based art making, this method emphasizes the establishment of a therapeutic milieu characterized by mutual empathy,…

A cognitive prerequisite for education and (re)entry into the labor market is the ability to concentrate for a long period. Conducted with 39 participants, the present study examines the effect of a six-week dance-like martial arts program on prisoners' concentration ability in an open prison in Germany (n=15), and compares their concentration…

Background: The Group Climate Inventory (GCI) was tested for measurement invariance across 332 adults with and 225 adults without mild intellectual disabilities in Dutch forensic treatment, and for latent mean differences on its "Support", "Growth", "Repression", and "Atmosphere" subscales. Method:…

This descriptive action research study uses Transformative Learning Theory as a lens to view incarcerated education from the perspective of incarcerated individuals (I/Is). Data was collected from 19 participants using individual and focus group semi-structured interviews. The data analysis captured the voices and viewpoints of I/Is regarding…

The high incarceration rate and systemic racism in the United States, along with entrenched social barriers, highlight the need for creative solutions to help formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) reintegrate successfully. This paper highlights social entrepreneurial ventures (SEVs) as powerful agents of social change, underscoring the…

The paper presents the Asseblywomen Project, conducted by Papalangki Theatre Company during 2020-2021 at the Women's Prison in Eleonas (Greece). Using as rehearsal material the comedy play "The Assemblywomen" by Aristophanes, the project aimed to encourage the participation of ex-drug addicted inmate women at the rehabilitation process,…

When facilitating group art therapy for young adult male inmates in prison, response art helped an art therapist to build therapeutic bonds and maintain self-care. Both artmaking in-session and post-session enabled the art therapist to traverse relational distance, nurture trust, and create social bonds in the group. By reflecting on her response…