The Prison project was the turning point of my career when I saw transformations for real in a correctional setting which was dark, cramped and overpopulated envoirnment.
In the most overpopulated trial dens of Mumbai, 215 inmates of Arthur road jail and 125 women inmates of Byculla jail underwent a series of art-based workshops as a part of their behavioral training.
This project was our first workshop conceptualized on the principles of art therapy to help the inmates take their first step towards a positive change.
David E Gussak and Eveyln Ploumis-Devick from Florida University based their research on the usage of art for the correctional setting. They asserted the effectiveness of building Self-awareness, Self-expression, Constructive Behaviour, and Communication Skills as the fundamental traits to successful behavioural change for inmates in correctional institutions.
Without interventions to promote such change, most treatment programs prove to be unsuccessful. The arts have gained increased attention as being effective tools for overcoming obstacles to and promoting, learning and self-awareness. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/art-trial/201310/art-behind-bars