Just over three years ago the state’s prison system woke up to a promising change. On July 1, 2006 the California Department of Corrections added the word Rehabilitation to the end of its official name — CDC became CDCR. All the system’s official ID, from the huge yellow stencils on inmate clothing to the patches on the uniforms of Correctional Officers, were in line to be changed. It takes time to do all this and even now the revisions continue. But maybe they should hold up on that effort. Rehabilitation could be in danger of vanishing. The state’s financial crisis has led to dramatic budget cuts within the prison system and among the programs most at risk are those geared to rehabilitation.
Whether slashing rehabilitation programs will save taxpayers’ money is questionable. Several studies have shown those programs to be strongly cost effective, reducing discipline problems and recidivism and thus reducing costs.
However, CDCR is cutting $250 million and laying off 600 to 900 employees from educational and rehabilitative programs. On September 23, Artist Facilitators (IAF) throughout CDCR received layoff notices, effectively destroying Arts In Corrections (AIC), one of the system’s longest running and most effective rehabilitative programs.
Founded in 1977 by the William James Foundation, AIC Facilitators oversaw the management of Contract Artists and Artists-in-Residence. AIC provided classroom workshops in drawing, painting, printmaking, creative writing, poetry and performance-based events in music and theater arts.
In 1982, San Jose State Professor Larry Brewster conducted an evaluation of AIC at four Northern California institutions: CMF-Vacaville, San Quentin, Deuel Vocational Institute, and CTF- Soledad. According to the data, AIC participants presented a 75 percent reduction in disciplinary infractions. This led to reduced hours spent on disciplinary actions and consequently, reduced costs to CDCR. Brewster’s findings showed that as AIC’s volunteer hours and programs expanded, costs to CDCR dropped nearly 33 percent.
“No economic, safety, or security concern is served by deleting the IAF position,” argues Steve Emrick, IAF at San Quentin. “Studies [like the Brewster Report] show that Arts programming provides a safer institutional environment.” The IAF, as a full-time state employee, oversees the stable of Contract Artists and Artists-in-Residence — ensuring that visiting artists need only focus on classes and workshops. “Outside artists have little or no knowledge of the paramilitary inner workings of a prison,” Emrick says. “As the IAF, I review all the supplies and materials the outside artists will be using.” Emrick, a sculpture and furniture artist with a MFA degree and a stretch as a professor at San Diego State University, reflects on his 21 years of experience: “I have found working with prisoners to be a rewarding experience, both professionally and artistically. I enjoy seeing individuals gain a sense of self and learn to identify themselves as something other than prisoners. “The Arts,” he says, “become a lifeline they can grab onto and pull themselves up out of the abyss.”
AIC IS NOT FUNDED
Elizabeth Siggins is Chief Deputy Secretary–Adult Programs. “We are all trying,” she says, “to do everything we can to change the way we do business, to continue providing programs to as many inmates as possible.” However, Arts in Corrections is part of the now-defunct Bridging Program,and,” Siggins says, “is technically not funded.”
She says CDCR is seeking other ways to provide programs to inmates: “We will rely more and more on volunteer support from the community, and training long-term inmates to be substance abuse counselors and literacy tutors.” She says, “I understand how important these programs are to inmates, so it is vital to use this fiscal crisis as an opportunity to improve the way we provide these programs. This is a difficult time for staff and inmates alike; to get through this, we must work together.”
However, depending on volunteers and outside help is exactly the current model of the Arts in Corrections program about to be ended, says Katya McCulloch, a contract artist who teaches block printing to a dedicated group of prisoners on Friday mornings. In 2008-2009, San Quentin AIC received no CDCR funding, while the William James Foundation provided nearly $74,000. “The Arts,” McCulloch says, “open a door to the rehabilitative process, teaching inmates how to follow-through and sustain their focus for extended periods.” Finished works by Katya’s students have been accepted into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress — a rare honor.
“Arts programming teaches skills which are difficult to quantify,” explains Lucinda Thomas, IAF at Lancaster State Prison. “It [the Arts] addresses the emotional component of learning, which is linked to the internal social change, which in turn, is linked to genuine rehabilitation.” After nearly 20 years working with prisoners, she notes that successful rehabilitation involves more than training alone. “You can teach a man to be a plumber, but if you can’t find a way to get him to deal with the emotional instabilities which contributed to his incarceration, you just released an angry plumber back into society.”
BIG IMPROVEMENT
AIC classes are always integrated, always open,” Thomas observes, “and that is an extraordinary thing.” California’s prisons are notoriously hyper-racist; every facet of daily life is dictated by racial politics. “Men who come to AIC classes have a chance to form bonds, find common ground in a shared experience, and create friendships with men they would most likely not talk to outside the AIC studio doors.” Thomas finds this bonding experience to be unique among the traditional programs offered in prison. “In one painting class you will find men with six different education levels from five different social backgrounds, diverse ethnic backgrounds, and even members of rival gangs.”
A CDC/ Arts in Corrections research study covering 1980-87 provided evidence for AIC’s contribution to reducing recidivism. A total of 177 randomly selected inmates were monitored after release. All had participated in at least one AIC class per week for a minimum of six months. After one year, 74 percent of the study group had achieved a “favorable” parole result, while the remaining parolees had a 49 percent rate, a 25 percent difference. After two years the gap expanded to 27 percent.
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy produced a pair of independent studies in 2001 on Evidence-Based Adult Corrections Programs. The programs aimed at rehabilitation reduced recidivism 13 percent. Among the most effective programs was vocational education with a benefit of $7.13 for each dollar spent. Despite this benefit, CDCR is cutting two-thirds of the vocational programs at San Quentin along with AIC.
When questioned recently about the loss of the AIC program, Acting Warden Wong said, “While we are losing the position [of IAF], we will try to maintain all the programs through the continued use of volunteers.”
