“Every human being has a spark of something in them that can be ignited for the good of mankind…. Someone getting out of prison has to make their own choices. Whether they end up sleeping under a bridge or whatever, they have to make the choice not to commit another crime. But when someone lends a helping hand, it makes a world of difference.”
These are the words of former prisoner Guillermo Willie being interviewed about the Poetic Justice Project by the online news magazine aNewsCafé.com. An actor in several PJP productions, Willie is now on the advisory board for the innovative reentry program that provides formerly incarcerated people opportunities to involve themselves with the arts.
Based in Santa Maria, the Poetic Justice Project was founded by Deborah Tobola in 2009.
A former journalist and teacher with a Master of Fine Arts degree, Tobola taught writing classes for 12 years at the following prisons; Tehachapi, Wasco, Delano and the California Men’s Colony West Facility. Later she facilitated music, art and drama classes for the Arts in Corrections program, which has since been discontinued due to budget cuts.
Tobola says she has a passion for working with imprisoned people involved with the arts. “The qualities it takes to be a successful artist—commitment, discipline, honesty, integrity—are the same ones that could help these guys in everything.”
“PJP’s motto, ‘Unlocking hearts and minds with bold, original theater’ works both ways,” said Tobola. “For the actors, it’s powerful for them to be accepted by the audience. They have felt stigmatized. For the audience, the performers may make people feel differently about men and women who have been incarcerated and are seeking to return [to society] as part of the community.”
Tobola’s late father was at one time a prison guard. Although her dad passed away before she began working behind prison walls, she remembers he was a great mentor. “He would have loved what I am doing today,” she said.
John Steinbeck was one of her father’s favorite writers and Tobola said he would have particularly loved PJP’s production, Of Mice and Men, based on Steinbeck’s novel.
PJP advisor Willie, who played George in Of Mice and Men, also performed in several other PJP productions. “Everyone reentering society from behind prison walls should have a vehicle for expression,” Willie said. “Many parolees get ridiculed, put down and shunned because of their criminal history. It’s sort of a sad mode of expression that folks adapt regarding ex-cons, and it shouldn’t have to be that way.”
There are approximately 75 ex-prisoners, both men and women, participating in the Poetic Justice Project. Women make up approximately a third of the participants.
The PJP has presented seven plays, many of them original.
In addition to Of Mice and Men they include: Off The Hook by Deborah Tobola, The Exonerated by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, Blue Train by Cliff Ray, What If? by students at Los Prietos Boys Camp, Planet Of Love by Deborah Tobola, and Women Behind Walls by Claire Braz-Valentine.
This fall PJPis scheduled to perform In The Kitchen With A Knife, a murder mystery. Four PJP actors will appear in the play, The Hairy Ape, in Arroyo Grande, California.
When asked if she missed working behind prison walls with artists, Tobola said, “I do miss it very much.”
Tobola recently had a chance to do a 12-week workshop on the arts at the Los Prietos Boys Camp. During this time, the students explored creative writing, art, music, and theater improvisation; their efforts culminated in the PJP play, What If? For artistically talented people reentering society after imprisonment, the PJP can be a lifesaver, she said.
Recidivism has skyrocketed, over-all rehabilitation programs have diminished, and promising opportunities are far-and-few-in-between for those adjusting to outside life. Nearly 70 percent of those released from California prisons return within a three-year period, at a cost of nearly $51,000 annually per prisoner, according to the online prison news magazine, www.aNewsCafe.com.
The Poetic Justice Project attempts to punch a hole in these grim statistics. “If we keep 20 people out here from going back to prison,” said Tabola, “we save taxpayers $1 million annually.”
Former prisoner Willie added, “Statistics dictate that many parolees will soon go back to crime. Lending a helping hand to men and women who truly want to turn their lives around is a noble gesture. That is exactly what the PJP does for people like me.”
The PJP operates on funds donated to the program. Various venues are used to practice and prepare for the plays. Sometimes, local churches step up and provide space and time for the PJP to get its production ready. In return, some of the volunteers and actors do work for the church, construction, painting, cleaning, or what ever is needed.
The Poetic Justice Projectwww.poeticjustice.org is interested in looking at original plays. Stories can be about prison, redemption, points of view from prisoner’s families, associates of prisoners or the prison system, etc. Stories should be serious and/or light hearted. The PJP is not looking to be a forum for personal political complaints or to demean anyone or the system.
Tabola emphasized the PJP wants to give parolees the opportunity to feel connected after returning to society. “The project also gives people a way to contribute to the community and at the same time have a creative community of their own, with actors and technical people, so it’s like a big family,” said Tobola. “We hope to enlighten people to this invisible subculture.”
