The role of art education in adult prisons: The Western Australian experience

International Review of Education volume 62, pages689–709(2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Incarceration costs are high; in Australia, for example, each prisoner costs an average of AUD 115,000 per year. Other countries are also feeling the fiscal pinch of high incarceration costs, and a number of jurisdictions are now closing some of their prisons. Most prison costs are non-discretionary (accommodation, meals, etc.). But some of the costs relate to discretionary activities, services and facilities (including schooling). In terms of correctional education, many prison managers try to invest any meagre correctional education resources available to them in those classes and courses which have proven to have the best results, such as improved labour market outcomes and reduced recidivism, minimising subsequent re-imprisonment. Course offers for prisoner-students include vocational training, adult basic education (ABE) and art studies. The two-tiered question this paper asks is: do art classes and courses produce these measurable outcomes and, if not, are there other reasons why they should continue to be funded? Addressing these issues, the authors argue that (1) these measurable outcomes are too narrow and do not reflect the complex but less quantifiable benefits to the individual and the community of studying art in prison, and (2) better measures of all impacts of art studies in prisons are needed, including qualitative and humanitarian aspects.

Résumé

Rôle de l’éducation artistique dans les prisons pour adultes : expérience de l’État d’Australie-Occidentale – Les coûts pénitentiaires sont élevés. En Australie par exemple, chaque détenu coûte en moyenne 115 000 dollars australiens par an. D’autres pays ressentent également les conséquences fiscales des frais élevés d’incarcération, et de nombreuses juridictions ferment aujourd’hui une partie de leurs prisons. La majorité des frais carcéraux sont non discrétionnaires (hébergement, repas, etc.). Mais une partie finance des activités, prestations et infrastructures discrétionnaires (y compris l’enseignement). En termes d’enseignement en milieu carcéral, de nombreux directeurs de prison essayent d’investir toute ressource éducative, si maigre soit-elle, dont ils disposent dans les cours et stages qui produisent les résultats les plus probants, tels que meilleurs débouchés sur le marché du travail et réduction des récidives, qui diminuent les incarcérations renouvelées. Les cours proposés aux détenus englobent formation professionnelle, éducation de base des adultes et études artistiques. La question à deux niveaux que pose le présent article est la suivante : les cours et stages artistiques produisent-ils ces résultats mesurables, et dans la négative, d’autres raisons justifient-elles le maintien de leur financement ? En analysant ces questions, les auteures constatent que (1) ces résultats mesurables sont trop restrictifs et ne reflètent pas les bienfaits complexes mais moins quantifiables pour l’individu et la communauté d’étudier l’art en prison; et (2) des mesures améliorées de tous les impacts de l’apprentissage artistique en prison sont nécessaires, y compris les aspects qualitatifs et humanitaires.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. 1.

    Each of these techniques corrects the estimation of treatment effects when selection into the treatment group is thought to be influenced by participant characteristics. With propensity score matching (PSM), observations are assigned a propensity score which is “the probability of treatment assignment conditional on observed baseline characteristics” (Austin 2011). Estimation of treatment effects can then be based on observations in the treatment and comparison groups that are matched. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique is applied within an econometric model (Blinder 1973; Oaxaca 1973). Here the differences in profiles between the two treatment and comparison groups can be estimated and subtracted from the total differences in outcomes between these groups, thus revealing the true differences attributable to the treatment or intervention. The Heckman selectivity bias correction technique is also applied within an econometric model (Heckman 1979). First a selection equation is estimated; this gives the probabilities of being selected into the treatment group for each participant based on a number of participant characteristics. These probabilities (selection corrections) are then inserted into the main equation estimating the average treatment effect.

  2. 2.

    The General Education Diploma (GED) is an option for people in the United States who have not completed high school. The diploma, which is awarded for passing a set of tests, certifies high-school-level academic skills. Similarly, Adult Basic Education (ABE) in Australia is adult literacy and numeracy education which provides students with high school equivalency skills.

  3. 3.

    Class availability may impact on enrolment at any one time.

  4. 4.

    Centrelink is the Australian national welfare agency; for more information see http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/dhs/centrelink [accessed 14 October 2016].

  5. 5.

    General information about NAIDOC week is available at http://www.naidoc.org.au/news/naidoc-week-2016-share-participate-and-discover [accessed 25 October 2016]. A flyer about an art exhibition which was part of NAIDOC week in 2016 is available at http://www.correctiveservices.wa.gov.au/_files/about-us/naidoc-art-exhibition-2016.pdf [accessed 25 October 2016].

  6. 6.

    The Curtin Graduate Exhibition is an annual end-of-year student exhibition mainly featuring the work of graduating and honours students in Curtin University’s fine arts programme. The exhibition enables them to network with key gallery contacts, potential buyers, the media and other artists.

  7. 7.

    Art classes which are part of behavioural therapy programmes are not considered here.

  8. 8.

    Children in WA enter primary school (beginning with a pre-primary year followed by years 1–6) at age 5, and progress to secondary school (years 7–12). The minimum requirement for graduation from secondary school is achievement of the WA Certificate of Education (WACE).

  9. 9.

    For the adult prisoners in the dataset, compulsory schooling was only to year 10. The extension of compulsory schooling to include years 11 and 12 is a recent change.

  10. 10.

    See http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/6287.0~2011~Chapter~Community%20Development%20Employment%20Projects%20%28CDEP%29 [accessed 25 October 2016].

  11. 11.

    From 1998, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) did not differentiate between recipients aged 25 years and under who were seeking work and those who were enrolled in education.

  12. 12.

    A subset of the WA prisoner education and welfare dataset was required for this analysis which needs at least three years of post-release time to derive the re-incarceration measure.

  13. 13.

    This programme is specifically designed to meet the needs of incarcerated people. It offers a variety of degrees up to Masters level. For more information, see http://humanities.curtin.edu.au/schools/DA/art/jeta.cfm [accessed 14 October 2016].

  14. 14.

    Two examples. (1) Moving to a different prison can mean not being able to complete a course or even a unit/class in a course. But the move may be necessary because of a bed shortage. So a maximum security prisoner who is close to release might be moved to a minimum security prison so that a bed is freed up for a newly incarcerated maximum security prisoner. (2) If a prison has long-term staffing issues (due to budgets and staff on indefinite workers’ compensation or sick leave), then there are insufficient staff to provide escort duties from cells to the education centres which hold the classes. So the prisoners cannot get to class to complete their units or progress their courses. These scenarios are not uncommon.

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Acknowledgements

The research presented in this paper was funded by a 2011 strategic research funding grant from the Faculty of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University and by a 2012 Industry Collaboration Grant with Edith Cowan University and the Western Australian Department of Corrective Services.

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  1. School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup Campus, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    Margaret Giles & Jacqui Whale

  2. School of Education, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA, Australia

    Lisa Paris

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  1. Margaret Giles
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Correspondence to Margaret Giles.

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Giles, M., Paris, L. & Whale, J. The role of art education in adult prisons: The Western Australian experience. Int Rev Educ 62, 689–709 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-016-9604-3

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Keywords

  • Art studies
  • correctional education
  • prisoners
  • welfare dependence
  • recidivism