Prison Arts Project

Since 1977, the William James Association has been organizing the Prison Arts Project, a  project funded by the San Francisco Foundation, the NEA, the California Arts Council and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Its success has been because of their dedicated team of art advocates who promote art leading to a better self-image and worth. The prison system is a place of negative behavior, and does little to endorse a positive life after release. Because the Prison Arts Project is so far-reaching, it has had the chance to impact large number of now-free inmates. 

Studies on this project showed that inmates who participated were less violent while in prison, and had more success in the outside world. The program preaches that because there's no wrong answer in art, there's no wrong, just an outlet to express how you feel. 

On the website you can find testimonies from inmates and resources with data to confirm the positive affects of such endeavors.