“Art can permeate the very deepest part of us, where no words exist.” ... Eileen Miller

 

The journey to incarceration is full of traumatic moments. Many incarcerated people find healing through art. Several Texas prisons have craft shops, and as Jim mentioned in the vidoe at the top of this page, "studies have show that the pursuit of artistic mastery leads to healthier mental fitness, a more extensive emotional range, and a strong sense of purpose." In short, art heals by allowing a person to express emotion where words fail. 

​

“Creating artwork allows your mind to be in a safe place while it contemplates the tougher issues you are dealing with. One can use the tools of brush, paint, pastels, crayons etc to expose and even for a short time color those issues in a different light.”
― George E. Miller

​

Art can positively affect many aspects of rehabilitation. A study on The University of Denver's Prison Arts Initiative said that “prison arts programming may transcend skills-based and social emotional outcomes to invoke liberatory experiences for participants” (Littman and Sliva, 2021). Liberation is not a word generally associated with prison.

​

According to Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) Less than 5% of RTA members return to prison, compared to the national recidivism rate of 60%." These studies show that art doesn't just have a positive effect on people during their incarceration, but also has a positive effect once they are home as they are better equipt for successful social reintegration. All of society is positively affected by the healing power of art. 

​

“Art is my cure to all this madness, sadness and loss of belonging in the world & through it I’ll walk myself home.” ― Nikki Rowe