Social interaction, according to American Philosopher John Dewey, is inherently social in nature. For the nearly 60,000 incarcerated youth in the United States, social relationships with the outside world are severely limited. When coupled with the additional adversities that the majority of justice-involved youth face, including learning disabilities, mental health issues, underfunded prior schooling, and extensive trauma, it is evident that this population has very unique educational needs and serious barriers between achieving future success. One proven way in which unique educational needs can be supported is through art. The research question for my Spring 2021 undergraduate research project is the following: Why is community-based art for justice-involved youth important? The formal research began by asking a question: how can increased positive outcomes for justice-involved youth be achieved? A literature review into the demographics of justice-involved youth, the impacts of education, and ways in which education can be supported was conducted. The findings of the literature review identified education as the primary means by which outcomes for incarcerated youth can be improved, and identified the tandem support of both social-emotional skills and cognitive skills as a means of improving education. Through the literature review, the potential to support the unique needs of justice-involved youth through community-based art programs was also discovered. Through the case study analysis of two community-based art programs, Maine Inside Out and the Imagine Bus Project, it was determined that evidence shows community-based art programs have the power to increase positive future outcomes for justice-involved youth and that not only do students reap the benefits of community-based art programs, but benefits are also reflected within the community.
Author: Emily Alvarez
Faculty Advisor: Kathleen Knight Abowitz, Educational Leadership
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