Dreaming Inside: An evaluation of a creative writing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in prison

Abstract

Arts-based prison programs are often viewed as hobbies or as activities that have little impact on prisoner rehabilitation according to conventional understandings of the term. This is despite growing evidence that arts-based programs can assist with learning retention and can improve self-confidence and ways of coping with emotions. Generally, arts practices have been found to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have grown up or live in urban areas with asserting and strengthening their cultural identity, but we know little about the effects of arts-based prison programs on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner wellbeing. This article focuses on a creative writing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners at Junee Correctional Centre, New South Wales. The program, Dreaming Inside, has produced seven volumes of poetry and stories. This article combines and reports findings from two evaluations of the program, one using program feedback forms and the other using semi-structured interviews with prisoners who participated in the program. The themes that emerged from both evaluations affirm the program’s efficacy in improving prisoner self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing, and in reigniting and strengthening cultural engagement.

Life as an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Prisoner: Poems of Grief, Trauma, Hope, and Resistance

“…The importance of cultural engagement is reflected in the fact that some of the writers expressed their gratitude for Aunty Barb and the Aboriginal tutors running the workshops in the prison. An example of this appears in Robert Clark's piece entitled "Untitled 1": Clark's words reflect the power that cultural engagement and respected Elders have in improving the wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners (Hanley and Marchetti 2020). The Elders and their teachings provide a safe-guard against the subjugation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in prison and in the wider community.…”

“…As Stanford states "[i]t is an exercise of power in a place that attempts to deny power to those who are imprisoned there" (2004,278). The exercise of power comes from attaining a voice through writing and publishing, which enables the expression and dissemination of thoughts and feelings that are normally hidden and supressed (Hanley and Marchetti 2020). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, regaining a sense of agency and control comes from recounting Australia's history of colonization and the continuing subjugation of Australia's First Peoples using their inter-generational knowledge and experience, and from deploring "discriminatory and stereotypical representations of Aboriginality" (Porter 2015, 296).…”

“…The publication of the writings as book volumes ensures the contributors, who are mainly voiceless and forgotten in wider society, are given a voice to express their feelings and write their stories. Knowing their work is published gives the men a sense of pride and achievement, feelings that can increase a person's confidence and self-esteem (Hanley and Marchetti 2020). The Dreaming Inside anthologies also include writing and visual reflections of the tutors.…”

Zintkala Woihanbla (Sonhos de Pássaros): deriva e outras performances decoloniais para sobreviver a e abolir a prisão

“…Embora a escolarização atual enfatize as formas sancionadas, os programas educacionais das prisões podem ser importantes para pessoas que estão/foram encarceradas (Brault, 2005;Hanley;Marchetti, 2020;Grant, 2008), e podem dar algum sentido positivo aos centros de detenção e diminuir a violência que eles infligem. Essas atividades podem ser muito significativas para as pessoas que estão presas -e talvez em particular, para aquelas com sentenças de longa duração.…”

“…A atenção acadêmica às propostas de atividades sancionadas pela prisão costuma elogiar as intervenções de pessoas de fora da prisão, enquanto eclipsa as valiosas contribuições de pessoas que estão/estiveram presas (Hanley;Marchetti, 2020). Em outras palavras, o foco nas atividades sancionadas pela prisão pode obscurecer as maneiras como os "intelectuais radicais presos" (Rodriguez, 2006, p. 3) 2017).…”