Fulwider, Mikalya. (2022). “Music Programs with Teens in Correctional Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas.  

Fulwider, Mikalya. (2022). “Music Programs with Teens in Correctional Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas.  

Author Affiliations: Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas
Artforms: Music
Program: N/A
Program Description: N/A
Program (Study) Location: N/A
Study Published: Unpublished
Participant Type: Incarcerated juveniles
Sample Size: Three studies
Data Type: Scoping review

Evaluation Focus: Synthesis of available research on all music and arts-based programs in youth detention facilities, focused on:

  • strengths and weaknesses of programs
  • types of evidence
  • demographics of participants
  • key features of programs
  • gaps and limitations in available literature

KEYWORDS: adolescents, arts, juvenile, music, teens

Summary of Impact: Evaluation of three studies showed positive results of music programs including providing opportunities for individuals in juvenile detention to create and increase in pro-social behavior   

KEYWORDS: adolescents, arts, juvenile, music, teens

Soape, E., Barlow, C., Gussak, D., Brown, J. and Schubarth, A. (2021). Creative IDEA: Introducing a Statewide Art Therapy in Prisons Program. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1-18.

Soape, E., Barlow, C., Gussak, D., Brown, J. and Schubarth, A. (2021). Creative IDEA: Introducing a Statewide Art Therapy in Prisons Program. International Journal of Offender
Therapy and Comparative Criminology
, 1-18.

Author Affiliations: Florida State University and Florida Department of Corrections, Tallahassee
Artforms: Art therapy, drawing, visual arts
Program: Florida State University/Florida Department of Corrections Art Therapy in Prisons Program
Program Description: Art therapy services for young inmates with emotional and behavioral disabilities to help them overcome educational struggles
Program (Study) Location: Two prisons in North Florida and two in Central Florida
Study Published: May 11, 2021
Participant Type: Male and female juvenile offenders
Sample Size: 64
Data Type: The original research was designed as a descriptive and qualitative inquiry of offenders’ participation, progress notes from art therapists, semi-structured interviews with institutional personnel and disciplinary reports
Evaluation Focus: The original study aimed to assess number of disciplinary referrals, time spent in solitary, attendance at academic services, change in mood, focus, locus of control, problem solving and socialization. The pandemic necessitated changes to a “mental health triage” model wherein the program and research goals pivoted to decreasing anxiety and fear caused by the uncertainty of the pandemic; improving frustration and anger management; and facilitating socialization and connection with people outside all through provision of remote art therapy services via distributed and collected workbooks

Summary of Impact: Due to Covid-19, the researchers could not determine the effectiveness of the program in reducing disciplinary reports and time in seclusion or the ability of participants to focus on educational programming. Instead, participant feedback indicated that participants did find some relief from anxiety, fear and extended boredom.

KEYWORDS: academic, anxiety, art therapy, Covid-19, drawing, fear, juvenile, pandemic, visual arts

Baker, S. and Homan, S. (2007). Rap, Recidivism and the Creative Self: A Popular Music Programme for Young Offenders in Detention. Journal of Youth Studies, 10, (4), 459-476.

Baker, S. and Homan, S. (2007). “Rap, Recidivism and the Creative Self: A Popular Music Programme for Young Offenders in Detention“. Journal of Youth Studies, 10, (4), 459-476.

Author Affiliations: University of Leeds, UK (Baker); Cultural Industries & Practices Research Centre, University of Newcastle, Australia (Homan)
Artforms: Guitar, hip-hop, keyboard, music, rap, song-writing
Program: Genuine Voices
Program (Study) Location: Short-term (90-day) secure treatment center in Massachusetts
Program Description: Genuine Voices conducts music programs for youth in juvenile detention centers and other educational and institutional settings in the U.S. and worldwide. Its mission is to prevent youth violence and crime and foster youths’ ability to plan and make “positive life decisions.” The juvenile offender program consists of piano, guitar, rap and sequencing lessons, both group and individual, twice weekly. Youths who have earned good-behavior privileges may volunteer to participate in the program (p. 464).
Study Published: September 2007
Participant Type: Juvenile male offenders
Data Type: Qualitative: Ethnographic methodology including observation, interviews and program evaluation.
Evaluation Focus: Benefits of popular music programs in fostering individual creativity, self-esteem, identity and social communication

Summary of Impact: Researchers concluded that the program aided individual and collective communication and community-building and improved participants’ organizational skills, self-esteem, self-control, focus and sense of achievement. Participants produced a CD recording at the end of the program.

KEYWORDS: communication, community, focus, hip-hop, identity, juvenile, music, rap, self-control, self-esteem, sense of achievement, youth

Bruland, Ragnhild. (2021). “The Flex Dance Program – Exploring Pathways to Resilience: A Program Evaluation.” The New School for Social Research, New York, NY.

Evaluation Focus:Evaluation Focus:Author Affiliations: The New School for Social Research
Artforms: Dance
Program: Doctoral Dissertation, Flex Dance Program
Program Description: The Flex Dance Program provides instruction in Flexn, “a unique form of street dance that originated in Brooklyn in the 1990s [which] ‘confronts issues of social injustice through the exploration of personal narratives’” (p. 17). The program utilizes mentor/teaching artists to interact with students.
Program (Study) Location: Brooklyn, NY 
Participant Type: Nonviolent juvenile offenders aged 11 to 18
Sample Size: 53 teaching artists/mentors (35 in the dance intervention and 18 in the talk intervention); youth participants
Study Published: Doctoral Dissertation, 2021
Data Type: Mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) relying on interviews as well as validated questionnaires (Reflective Functioning Questionnaire or Q-RF and Working Alliance Inventory or WAI)
Evaluation Focus: The evaluation explored “qualities and efficacy of dance mentoring programs, specifically whether there were trends in different mentorship modality groups (dance/non-dance mentoring) with regards to reflective functioning and working alliance” (p. 58).

Summary of Impact: Non-dance mentors had higher scores on the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire and higher education levels than dance mentors, suggesting that Q-RF scores may be related to education and that access to educational resources for dance mentors could be valuable.
Dance mentors had higher reflective functioning scores from one-on-one interviews than non-dance mentors “underscores their deep commitment to the intervention work they are involved in, and their capacity for autonomous and meaningful interactions with the youth they serve” (p. IV).
Evaluations with students found that 95% felt more focused and 85% less stressed after a dance-mentoring session.”

KEYWORDS: dance, Flex Dance Program, juvenile, mentoring, relationships, resilience

Center for the Study of Art & Community. [n.d]. CORE Arts Program Report: 1999-2007. Prepared for the Mississippi Arts Commission by the Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Center for the Study of Art & Community. [n.d]. CORE Arts Program Report: 1999-2007.” Prepared for the Mississippi Arts Commission by the Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Author Affiliations: Center for the Study of Art and Community
Artforms: Biography, ceramics, collage, drawing, charcoal, furniture decoration, instrument making, mask-making, metal sculpture, music, painting, papier-mache, performance, poetry, watercolor, woodworking, writing
Program: CORE Arts Program, administered by Communities in Schools
Project (Study) Location: 25 sites (2 youth corrections facilities, 1 detention center, 8 adolescent offender programs, 7 alternative schools and 7 Boys & Girls Clubs) in 15 Mississippi counties
Program Description: CORE Arts provides ceramics, creative writing, music,visual and other arts programs to Mississippi youth, both adjudicated and non-adjudicated, in correctional settings, aftercare programs, and in alternative school settings. The program focused on “educational enhancement and workforce training through arts-based curricula” (p. 6). The CORE Arts initiative grew to include nearly 2500 students (2005-07) statewide, benefitting young people in communities throughout Mississippi. The report documents the program’s development and summarizes research studies conducted between 1999 and 2007.
Study Published: 2007
Participant Type: Youth 12-18 years who had committed status offenses; staff members
Sample Size: 308 participants and 101 staff members
Data Type: Quantitative, Qualitative: interviews with program participants and administrators, teachers, counselors and correctional officers; surveys, review of reports, publications and documentary information from both the Mississippi Arts Commission and program sites; data on academic and behavioral progress
Evaluation Focus: Program’s impact on critical success indicators for both youth justice/services and arts program providers. From 1999-2007, the program evaluation addressed:
●  What goals do the various partners and participants have for the CORE Arts program?
●  To what degree have these goals been achieved?
●  What CORE Arts program characteristics (i.e. curriculum, staffing, and program design) advanced or inhibited achievement of these goals?
●  How can the Core Arts partners improve their efforts to evaluate the accomplishment of these goals?
●  How can the partners sustain the CORE Arts program beyond the initialresearch development phase supported by the Mississippi Arts Commission?

Summary of Impact: Evaluations were conducted from 2002-2007, and included: tracking impact on student, impact on staff, and the program characteristics that supported the articulated outcomes. Results showed that youth participants showed a decrease in the incidences of violence, and improvements in behavior. Participants demonstrated a “connection between being in control of an artistic product and taking control over their lives” (p. 6). The summary of the evaluations revealed the following additional impacts:
●  71% improvement in attendance (p. 18).
●  58% reduction in referrals for behavioral problems (p. 18).
●  Counselor ratings were 5.07% higher than during the three prior months of regular program offerings (p. 18).
●  Positive correlation between time spent in program and improved attitudes and behavior.
●  Improved overall academic performance.
●  15% improvement in grade average compared with pre-program performance (p. 19).
●  Improved writing scores.
●  Improved reading skills:
○  83% of students at one site improved their reading skills by at least one grade level.
○  50% at this site improved their reading skills by two-to-four grade levels (p. 19).
●  Improved English grades:
○ 75% of students at one site improved grades by at least one letter grade, significantly more than the control group which did not receive creative writing (p. 19).
●  Enhanced self-control and cooperation.
●  Decreased violent behavior and idle time.
●  Reduced tensions between students and staff.
●  Improved communication, planning and cooperation between staff members.
●  86% of participating artists reported positive impact on them and their work.
●  Improved program work environments.
●  Staff viewed youth more positively.
●  Reduced tension for both staff and participants.
●  Opportunities for positive staff/student interaction.

KEYWORDS: academic performance, attendance, attitude, behavior, biography, ceramics, collage, CORE Arts , drawing, charcoal, furniture decoration, instrument making, juvenile, mask-making, metal sculpture, music, painting, papier-mache, performance, poetry, self-control, self-esteem, violence, watercolor, woodworking, writing, youth

Clawson, H. and Coolbaugh, K,. (2001). YouthARTS Development Project Program Evaluation. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs: Juvenile Justice Bulletin. May 2001.

Clawson, H. and Coolbaugh, K,. (2001). YouthARTS Development Project Program Evaluation. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs: Juvenile Justice Bulletin. May 2001.

Author Affiliations: Caliber Associates, Fairfax, VA
Artforms: The project’s three sites included
●  Atlanta: ceramics, computer graphics, drama, furniture design and application, mosaics, photography
●  Portland: drama, photography, poetry, printmaking, videography
●  San Antonio: creative writing, dance, drama, storytelling, visual arts
Program: YouthARTS Development Project
Program Description:
●  Atlanta: Art-at-Work provided one group of truant youth aged 14 to 16 with art instruction, job training, and literacy education over a 2-year period.
●  Portland: youth produced and administered a public arts project from design to production and public exhibition.
● San Antonio: after-school arts education program for youth at 7 schools.
Program (Study) Location:
●  Atlanta, Georgia: Art-at-Work/Fulton County Arts Council
●  Portland, Oregon: Youth Arts Public Art/Regional Arts and Culture Council
●  San Antonio, Texas: Urban smARTS/San Antonio Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs
Study Published: May 2001
Participant Type:
●  Atlanta: truant youth first-time offenders aged 14-16 referred by probation officers
●  Portland: adjudicated youth (excluding sex-offenders) aged 14-16 referred by probation officers
●  San Antonio: non adjudicated, at-risk youth aged 10-12 referred by teachers, principals and self-referrals
Sample Size:
●  Atlanta: 15 participants per program period; 7 in participant group and 10 in control group completed evaluation
●  Portland: 15 youth per unit per session; findings provided for 21
●  San Antonio: 60 youth at each of 7 schools; five schools participated in evaluation, complete data available for 22-112 participants
Data Type: Qualitative: Cross-site evaluation using participant and probation officer/caseworker feedback, skill assessment instruments, focus group interviews, academic data, court data. Data collected pre- and post-program on participants and control group.
Evaluation Focus:
●  Outcome component of evaluation assessed program effects on art knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of participants
●  Process component looked at program implementation and operations

Summary of Impact: Separate evaluations were completed at each of the three sites:
●  Atlanta:
○  85.7% of youth were communicating effectively with peers at the end of the program, up from 28.6% at the beginning of the program.
○  Program participants had, on average, fewer court referrals during the program period than the non-arts comparison group (1.3 and 2.0 respectively). This despite the fact that arts program participants had, on average more court referrals than the comparison group at the start of the program (6.9 and 2.2 referrals, respectively).
○  50% of program participants had committed new offenses during the program period versus 78.6% in the control group.

●  Portland:
○  100% of program participants demonstrated an ability to cooperate with others at the end of the 12-week program versus 43% at the start of the program
○  31.6% of program participants’ attitude towards school improved compared with 7.7% in the comparison group.
○  22% of program participants had a new court referral compared with 47% of comparison group.
○ The level and type of offense committed during the program period were less severe than prior offenses.

● San Antonio:
○ 85% of participants were able to work on tasks from start to finish at the end of the program versus 72% at the beginning.
○ 82% demonstrated the skills necessary to produce quality artwork up from 65% at the start of the program.
○ 16.4% of the arts program participants had a decrease in delinquent behavior compared with 3.4% of the control group.

KEYWORDS: ceramics, computer graphics, creative writing, dance, drama, entrepreneurial skills, furniture design and application, juvenile, life skills, mosaics, photography, poetry, printmaking, prosocial skills, storytelling, videography, visual arts, vocational skills, youth, YouthARTS Development Project

Cleveland, W. (2001). An evaluation of the Jackson County Children’s Services Coalition CORE Arts Program 2001-2002. Minneapolis, MN: Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Cleveland, W. (2001). An evaluation of the Jackson County Children’s Services Coalition CORE Arts Program 2001-2002. Minneapolis, MN: Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Author Affiliations: Center for the Study of Art & Community
Artforms: Ceramics, creative writing, music, visual arts
Program: Jackson County Children’s Services Coalition, CORE Arts Program Project (Study) Location: Detention center, public and private schools, community-based organization, religious institution, recreation center, arts organization, Jackson County, Mississippi
Project Description: CORE Arts provided ceramics, creative writing, music and visual arts programs to Mississippi youth.
Participant Type: Youth offenders, middle- and high-school students
Sample Size: 89 program participants and 22 staff members
Study Published: 2001
Data Type: Quantitative, Qualitative: Non-experimental consisting of Interviews/focus groups and survey/questionnaires with participants, administrators, teachers, counselors and correctional officers; daily student incident reports.
Evaluation Focus: Goals of participants and partners; extent to which goals had been achieved; which program characteristics advanced or inhibited achievement of goals

Summary of Impact:
●  15% improvement in participants’ grade averaged compared with pre-program performance.
●  Improvements in student behavior including cooperation and self-control.
●  58% reduction in behavior referrals compared to pre-program performance.
●  Student interest in other programs.
●  High student satisfaction with programs.
● Overall “positive impact” on students.

KEYWORDS: academic performance, behavior, ceramics, CORE Arts Program, creative writing, juvenile, music, violence, visual arts, youth

Ezell, M., & Levy, M. (2003). An Evaluation of an Arts Program for Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders. Journal of Correctional Education, 54(3), 108-114.

Ezell, M., & Levy, M. (2003). An Evaluation of an Arts Program for Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders. Journal of Correctional Education, 54(3), 108-114.

Author Affiliations: Academic (Ezell) and Social Work Administration (Levy)
Artforms: Cartoon art, collage, creative writing, drama, film, graphic design, multimedia, murals, music, papier-mache, photography, poetry, television, visual arts, wood sculpture
Program: A Changed World
Program Description: A Changed World (ACW) facilitates teaching and interaction between artists and institutionalized juvenile offenders. The purpose of the program is to reduce recidivism of juvenile offenders (p. 109). Major objectives include: I) to inculcate cultural and community awareness: 2) to lessen the risks of inappropriate behavior within the institutional environment: 3) to develop vocational and academic skills that will motivate and assist the student with the search for employment/career; and 4) to reduce the likelihood to reoffend after release (p.109-110). Artists conduct workshops ranging from two weeks to two months. During the first and second evaluation years (1996 and 1997), participants created a touring multimedia exhibit that included curriculum materials for use by teachers and counselors. During the third year of the evaluation (1998), participants produced a film for television.
Program (Study) Location: Juvenile correctional facilities, Washington State Study Published: 2003
Participant Type: Institutionalized juvenile offenders
Sample Size:
●  First Year Evaluation (1996): 86
●  Second Year Evaluation (1997): 57
●  Third Year Evaluation (1998): 41
Data Type: Mixed Method: Quantitative and Qualitative
●  First Year Evaluation: Youth self-reports and staff reports using a pre-and post-test multi-item scale design to measure changes in self-esteem. peer relations, cultural awareness, and community identity.
●  Second and Third Year Evaluations: open-ended survey of participants; teacher assessments; artist observations; staff reports on misbehavior; court records.
Evaluation Focus: The evaluation sought to examine the potential of the arts to impact youth behavior during incarceration and after release. The evaluation asked: “1. Do students learn new academic and vocational skills from the art workshops? 2. Does institutional behavior of program participants improve during their workshops? 3. How does the recidivism rate of program participants compare to nonparticipants (p.110)?

Summary of Impact:
●  First-Year Findings:
○  No statistically significant change in youth’s self-esteem, peer relations or cultural awareness during the two weeks duration of the program.
○  Ability to differentiate between life in and out of an institution improved in 31.7% of participants.
○  Moderate or substantial progress on all learning goals, especially academic goals including increases in 86 different academic skills.
●  Second and Third Year Findings:
○  Artists perceived that almost all of youth had accomplished almost all of their goals.
○  61.3% of youth said they learned concrete vocational skills.
○  70.3% reported positive feelings about their projects.
○  17.6% had feelings of accomplishment.
○  63% reduction in behavioral incidents pre-workshops versus during workshops.
○  Of 24 youth followed for recidivism, 16.7% recidivated within six months versus 32.9% for a control group of youth released in 1992.

KEYWORDS: academic, A Changed World, attitude, behavior, cartoon art, collaboration, collage, community, confidence, creative writing, cultural awareness, drama, employment, film, graphic design, identity, juvenile, misbehavior, multimedia, murals, music, papier-mache, peer relations, photography, poetry, recidivism, rules violations, self-esteem, skills development, television, visual arts, vocational skills, wood sculpture, youth

Greenbaum, Chloe A. and Javdani, Shabnam (2017). Expressive writing intervention promotes resilience among juvenile justice-involved youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 73(C), 220-229.

Greenbaum, Chloe A. and Javdani, Shabnam (2017). Expressive writing intervention promotes resilience among juvenile justice-involved youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 73(C), 220-229.

Author Affiliations: New York University, New York City
Artforms: expressive writing
Program: WRITE ON (Writing and Reflecting on Identity To Empower Ourselves as Narrators)
Program Description: Started in 2014, “WRITE ON is a writing-based mental health intervention designed for youth in confinement . . . WRITE ON encourages reflection and self-expression within a supportive group setting” (https://wp.nyu.edu/steinhardt-corelab/interventions/intervention-descriptions /). The program involves 12 sessions over six weeks, each session 90 minutes long and each week focusing on a specific theme such as emotions, self-expression, relationships, past self, present self, future self.
Program (Study) Location: short-term, non-secure juvenile detention cities in New York City; program initiated in partnership with the NYC Division of Youth and Family Justice
Participant Type: Incarcerated adolescents aged 12 to 17
Sample Size: 53 (31 girls, 22 boys) total; 30 (18 girls12 boys) in intervention group; 23 (13 girls, 10 boys) in control group
Study Published: 2017
Data Type: quantitative, using Brief Resilience Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Ego Resilience Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule – Short Form, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, State Shame and Guilt Scale-Revised
Evaluation Focus: participant satisfaction and mental-health outcomes of youth, including resiliency

Summary of Impact:
●  Participants reported high levels of satisfaction although numbers (roughly 85%) were the same between intervention and control groups.
●  Negative mental health outcomes of shame, guilt and negative affect did not significantly change over time across or within groups. Marginally significant increases in shame for WRITE ON participants with authors noting that symptom exacerbation may actually be a part of the recovery process.
●  Significant increase in positive mental health attributes, notably resilience KEYWORDS: expressive writing, juvenile, mental health, resilience, youth

KEYWORDS: expressive writing, juvenile, mental health, resilience, youth

Hickey, Maud. (2018). “We all Come Together to Learn About Music”: A Qualitative Analysis of a 5-Year Music Program in a Juvenile Detention Facility. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. published online March 21, 2018, 1-21.

Hickey, Maud. (2018). “We all Come Together to Learn About Music”: A Qualitative Analysis of a 5-Year Music Program in a Juvenile Detention Facility. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. published online March 21, 2018, 1-21.

Author Affiliations: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Artforms: Music composition, rap
Program: Music-composition program in youth detention center.
Program Description: Participants created at least one original music (mostly rap) composition after attending multi-lesson composition sessions.
Program (Study) Location: Cook County Juvenile Temporary Juvenile Detention Center, Chicago
Participant Type: Court-detained juveniles and adults, both men and women, aged 13-18
Sample Size: 717
Study Published: 2018
Data Type: Qualitative content analysis of written feedback and interviews. Evaluation Focus: “The purpose of this study was to uncover evidence that might support components of PYD [positive youth development] in a music composition program at an urban youth detention center.” Research questions were:
● “What reasons and evidence emerge that support positive aspects of the music program at an urban youth detention center, and how do these align with self-determination theory?”
● “What characteristics from the program might help to inform practices of programming in juvenile detention?”

Summary of Impact: The research found that “The three SDT [self-determination theory] constructs of competence, autonomy and relatedness are essential for the positive development of juvenile [participants in detention].” The creation of music seemed to especially boost participant sense of competence and joy for learning.

KEYWORDS: adult, autonomy, competence, music, music interactions rap, relatedness, positive feeling, positive youth development, self-determination theory