Abstract

Considerable research has linked participation in arts programs to a constellation of positive social emotional outcomes for incarcerated participants. This article describes and evaluates a set of semester-long University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI) workshops. Through a pretest-posttest evaluation design inclusive of 22 quantitative and three qualitative items, we measured a range of outcomes for DU PAI participants (N = 119). Quantitative findings support prior work which associates participation in prison arts programs with social emotional outcomes such as community connection, skill attainment, and self-efficacy. Qualitative findings offered insight into participants’ experiences of the workshops, including: learning, growth, and discovery; opening up; authentic self-expression; empathy and perspective taking; belonging and connection; creative collaboration; joy and freedom. We also identified facilitator qualities which foster participant growth, including: safety, caring and respect, participation, and emotional involvement. Our findings suggest that prison arts programming may transcend skills-based and social emotional outcomes to invoke liberatory experiences for participants. There is a need for additional research to more clearly explore the effects of contextual factors and further concretize the unique role of arts programs in carceral spaces.

摘要

大量研究已将参与艺术课程与被监禁参与者的一系列积极的社会情感结果联系起来。本文描述并评估了一系列为期一学期的丹佛大学监狱艺术倡议 (DU PAI) 研讨会。通过包括 22 个定量和三个定性项目的前测-后测评估设计，我们测量了 DU PAI 参与者（N = 119）的一系列结果。定量研究结果支持先前的工作，这些工作将监狱艺术项目的参与与社会情感结果（例如社区联系、技能获得和自我效能）联系起来。定性调查结果提供了对研讨会参与者体验的洞察，包括：学习、成长和发现；开放；真实的自我表达；同理心和观点采纳；归属感和联系；创造性的合作；快乐和自由。我们还确定了促进参与者成长的促进者素质，包括：安全、关怀和尊重、参与和情感投入。我们的研究结果表明，监狱艺术节目可能超越基于技能和社会情感的结果，为参与者带来解放体验。需要更多的研究来更清楚地探索背景因素的影响，并进一步具体化艺术项目在监狱空间中的独特作用。我们的研究结果表明，监狱艺术节目可能超越基于技能和社会情感的结果，为参与者带来解放体验。需要更多的研究来更清楚地探索背景因素的影响，并进一步具体化艺术项目在监狱空间中的独特作用。我们的研究结果表明，监狱艺术节目可能超越基于技能和社会情感的结果，为参与者带来解放体验。需要更多的研究来更清楚地探索背景因素的影响，并进一步具体化艺术项目在监狱空间中的独特作用。