Arts for Justice-Involved Youth

Arts for Justice Involved Youth is a visual arts program at the John E. Goode Pre-Trial Detention Facility for young men ages 12-17 who are jailed while awaiting trial. Due to the severity of their charges, they are being prosecuted as adults, and some have been awaiting trial for more than two years.

Through immersion in the visual arts, this program provides a creative outlet that builds artistic skills and knowledge of art and art history. In addition to painting techniques, the program emphasizes communication and social skills, nonviolent self-expression and new avenues for coping in difficult environments.

Abstract painting is the primary genre of study. As students become more familiar with painting techniques, they discover they can convey mood and thought through color, line and scale, and learn when and how to take risks without negatively impacting others.

Students are often asked to work collaboratively to broaden their exploration of subject matter and techniques. This fosters a sense of trust and creates an environment where they can experience the joy that is self-expression and reflection through painting.

As the young artists see their work leave the jail and gain positive feedback from the community, they begin to consider new horizons and possibilities in the world outside their walls.

Video credit: Joe Karably, 1186 Pictures, LLC.