Performing Arts in Prisons is a collection of essays and perspectives on a wide array of prison arts initiatives and programmes (variously involving theatre, music, poetry, dance) mostly based in Australia, but also featuring others in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Chile. The authors are, for the most part, experienced practitioner–scholars reflecting on their own work.
The diversity reflected in this anthology is impressive. Among the fourteen chapters that comprise the book, most focus on a single programme or practitioner: for example, the Geese Theatre Company (Louise Heywood and Andy Watson, UK), the Fénix e Ilusiones theatre collective in Santiago, Chile; and Sarah Woodland's drama workshops in women's prisons (Australia) over the past fifteen years. Other chapters, still grounded in the particular prison arts practices of the authors, also include a broader consideration of multiple programmes. These include Rob Pensalfini's on Prison Shakespeare in Australia and worldwide, and Mary L. Cohen's on prison performing arts in the US.
The stated purpose of Performing Arts in Prisons is to open up a conversation about the relationship between the intentions of artist–practitioners, the needs of prisoners and the goals of prison administrators. To that end, Balfour et al. share a framework intended to help performing-arts programmes and corrections officials find points of connection, through an exploration of various domains of correctional ‘service delivery’. These areas of potential common interest are organized under two broad categories: prisoner development and humane, effective and safe correctional service. The editors call for prison arts practitioners to strengthen their credibility by clearly articulating their theoretical approach, their assumptions, intentions, goals, activities and intended outcomes, aligning these with the needs of prisoners, and the objectives of correctional institutions. They also note that, more and more, ‘evaluation and documentation are required to sustain access and support and gain funding for work in this area’ (p. 8).
The remaining chapters can be read as a response to these challenges. All of the practitioners do in fact take pains to articulate the theoretical justifications for their work, and to provide convincing evidence that they are making a positive impact. That evidence includes prisoner testimonials, including a full chapter authored by ‘Anya’, identified as ‘a voice from the inside’ (p. 85). There are also stories from facilitators and audience members. One of the most powerful arguments that organizes this evidence is that participation in arts programming promotes both secondary and tertiary desistance. While primary desistance is simply the cessation of criminal behaviour, secondary desistance is about a positive shift in identity, and tertiary desistance involves ‘a felt sense of belonging to a broader moral community’ (Linda Davey, p. 98).
The question of what should count as convincing evidence haunts the book, in part thanks to chapter 1, titled ‘A Correctional Perspective on the Creative Arts in Prisons’, where forensic psychologist Andrew Day argues that ‘prisoner wellbeing will never be a primary driver for the widespread implementation of programmes in prisons’, and that what really matters is ‘direct [empirical] evidence that arts programmes do actually contribute to reductions in reoffending’ (p. 25).
I would have liked to see the editors expand their very brief Concluding Remarks, by harvesting more of the evidence presented, responding to some of the questions raised, and making connections across chapters and programmes. It would have been helpful for them to return to their initial framework, and to reflect on this body of work from that perspective.
Overall, Performing Arts in Prisons is an important contribution to the literature on arts in correctional services. It is distinguished by its international, multidisciplinary approach, and by its focused attention on the problem of what prison arts practitioners might do to more rigorously justify and document their work. For students, scholars and practitioners of arts in corrections, prison education, community-based arts, and alternative approaches to criminology, the theories and methods presented here can serve as a rich and valuable resource. As a prison arts practitioner, I benefitted not only from the ideas presented in each chapter, but also from the great number of practical resources referenced in the text, many of them readily available online. Highly recommended.
