INTRODUCTION

“Nationwide, African-Americans represent 15% of the population, 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons. Incarceration rates of African-Americans and other minorities are so high that criminal justice has become the civil rights movement of this generation.”
--Race and Juvenile Justice System, http://www.cjcj.org/jjic/race_jj.php

“At each stage of the process, there's a slight empirical bias. And the problem is that the slight empirical bias at every-stage of the decision-making accumulates... By the time you reach the end, you have all minorities in the deep end of the system.”
--Jeffrey Butts, The Urban Institute

The number of African youth who are victimized by the criminal justice system is staggering. The problem seems overwhelming to many; so overwhelming that many would prefer not to acknowledge that it exists. But I’d like to pose this question to those who feel overwhelmed by all of this: “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.”

There are many aspects to this problem and many approaches to solving it and many aspects to each approach. I address this problem from the vantage point of an artist. I’ve introduced an art program into the Youth Study Center (the juvenile detention center here in New Orleans). Before embarking upon this endeavor, I studied the history of this kind of program. Probably the most notable bit of information I uncovered is the fact that the art programs in incarcerated environments that tend not to last are those started by institutions. It is the ones started by individual artists that have lasted (for decades, in fact).

While coordinating an art program in the juvenile detention center in Omaha, Nebraska, the administrator asked me why did I think the kids become so creative when they get locked up in there. I told him I didn’t know. In the back of my mind, I wondered if the truth was that it is creative youth who were arrested and locked up as opposed to the youth who were locked up becoming creative. This would explain the large percentage of gifted artists in my classroom there.

Stifled creativity has been discovered to be a cause of aggression and violence. Langston Hughes captured this sentiment well in his poem, “A Dream Deferred.” Researchers have noted that creative people are hungry for action, acceptance and affection. If they don‘t get it, they act-out.

They need a positive outlet for their creativity. Creative youth who are unchallenged are known for exceedingly creative mischief. Furthermore, in order to create, it is necessary to destroy; so, creative people are, by nature, a problem for a regimented society.

I’ve concluded that many of the youth in these detention centers are some of our most gifted people. Their dreams have simply been deferred and they explode. They are a tremendous resource of this world. They need the proper environment in order flourish.

Art programs like this one provide these frustrated youth with a positive means of communication. This is particularly important for those who are unable to read (an especially acute problem here in New Orleans).

Art is particularly well suited for this task because it is said that images are more closely tied to emotional life than words. For this reason, it is an effective outlet for pent up emotions. I believe art-making has built-in self-healing aspects. There seems to be something very toxic about bottled-up negative emotions. Releasing them seems to result in healing. It certainly has resulted in less acting-out in the programs I’ve participated in.

Art also involves considering alternatives which helps develop problem-solving skills. It develops cognitive skills used in critical analysis and decision-making. Art-making is an emotive, intuitive and analytical mode of relating to the world.

Many adults tell youth what to do and give them consequences when they disobey. Whereas, this is certainly necessary a great deal of time; I can’t help but think about the saying, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for life.” Art-making helps to develop critical thinking skills. Develop these cognitive processes and the youth will be equipped to solve his own problems, and thus enter into adulthood.

The criminal justice system is a major, if not the major, enemy of African people here in the U.S. Our youth must be retrieved from this system and reintegrated into their own communities in a positive and constructive way. An art program is one approach to addressing this issue. It, of course, is not enough. Maximum effectiveness will be achieved when all concerned persons partner with each other and coordinate their efforts to provide these young people with alternative uses of their creativity.

We’ve been fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts. Matching grants are required, which is actually a good thing. I believe it is best to rely on funding from the community that we serve. Our communities have the financial resources to support endeavors such as this. I believe when we demonstrate the value of projects like this, the community will support us.