Arts and Juvenile Justice

Structuring Better Outcomes for Detained Youth

Monday, October 30, 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Organized and moderated by Frances Phillips, Program Director, Arts and the Creative Work Fund, Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

Presented by Derek Fenner, Arts Learning Program Manager, Alameda County Office of Education; and Robin Sohnen, Executive Director, Founder, Each One Reach One.

Young people detained in the juvenile justice system are overwhelmingly youth of color from poor communities. Many were arrested for minor offences, and many will be rearrested in the future. Arts programs can create safe, creative spaces for these youth, yet arts organizations alone cannot provide the continuum of care these young people need. Session presenters have spent years working with and designing programs for these youth. They have studied what might be done to keep young people from being caught up in the system and how to reduce recidivism. In addition to sharing their research and observations, presenters will engage participants in an arts-centered exercise to shape a conversation about the school-to-prison pipeline — a pressing social justice topic.

• Each One Reach One: Transforming Kids Behind Bars
• Alameda County Office of Education: Integrated Learning Faculty
• Tim Robbins has a prison drama class and it has cut recidivism in half for its participants