The following is a message from filmmakers at Passion River, who have recently released the film ‘Lost and Found’. Prison arts programs have, since their inception, been used to provide inmates with a more constructive use for their time. Analyses of the benefits of prison arts programs tend to focus, understandably so, on how the …

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The following is a message from the Hamilton College Digital Humanities Initiative.  The United States holds more prisoners and employs more prison staff than any other nation on earth.  But there is no central location where the public, policy makers, students or researchers can benefit from the many years of first-hand experience of prisoners and prison …

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PAC asked Reno Angelo Leplat-Torti, an artist and curator of exhibitions of Chicano prison art in France, to tell us a bit about himself, how his interest in prison art developed, and what kind of impact his exhibitions are having. My name is Reno Angelo Leplat-Torti. I was born in France, but my family emigrated …

Continue reading Paños created in US prisons spark the passion of exhibitor in France

World Cast Movie seeks prison arts practitioners who see the possibility of including prison performers in its worldwide film project. We have launched an open casting call for actors around the globe to fill the shoes of 12 roles for our film. The initial idea was inspired by the opportunity to give talented actors who …

Continue reading Thinking “Inside the Box” – a request for practitioners

By Katy McCarthy About the guest blogger: Katy McCarthy is the blog and media director at http://www.juvenile-in-justice.com. In 2011, she received her Bachelors degree from University of California, Santa Barbara in studio art. When not in her own studio, she is editing and blogging for Juvenile In Justice. Katy can be reached at blogdirector@juvenile-in-justice.com A …

Continue reading More than Decoration: Art in Juvenile Prisons

BleakHouse Publishing is proud to release our annual BleakHouse Review, an online literary magazine that serves as an outlet for original perspectives on the criminal justice system. BleakHouse Publishing devotes itself to the creative voices of the voiceless. You will hear from an array of talented American University students, as well as former inmates and current prisoners. Blending shades of …

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About this post: These pieces will appear in Concertina, Joseph Bathanti‘s forthcoming book of prison-related poems, from Mercer University Press. Bathanti is North Carolina’s Poet Laureate and a professor of creative writing at Appalachian State University, where he is Director of Writing in the Field and Writer-in-Residence in the University’s Watauga Global Community. He has …

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The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings’ new project, Words Unlocked, is a month-long initiative that includes practitioner-ready curricular materials, a nationwide competition, and publishing venues for student work.   All materials for the initiative are available at our wiki site, Words Unlocked. The wiki has a robust set of tools available for public …

Continue reading New Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings Initiative: Words Unlocked