Corrections_Today_Summer_2025_Vol.87_No.2

VIEW FROM THE LINE

artists. Rather, the program uses the arts to teach men and women be hind bars critical life skills that will help them both while they are incar cerated and when they are released back into their communities. The key is in the organization’s name: Rehabilitation Through the Arts. As Brian Fischer, Former Commissioner of NYS Dept. of Corrections and Community Super vision, told the audience just before an RTA production, “What you will see here tonight is entertainment, but what I see is rehabilitation.” New York’s current commissioner also supports RTA. “I am a staunch advocate for our Department’s mis sion to rehabilitate individuals in our custody and offer them the tools to prepare for a successful reentry to the community ” says DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III. “RTA plays a vital role in shift ing mindsets and behaviors, and I am proud of our collaborative efforts and confident that this ongoing part nership will continue to enhance public safety through the arts.” Rehabilitation by the numbers RTA is not a “feel good” activ ity but a rehabilitation program that works. The hard proof is in the numbers. Nationwide, the recidi vism rate is over 60%. Fewer than 3% of RTA alumni return to prison. While that alone is a staggering figure, research shows that the pro gram benefits participants who are still inside. A study conducted by the Center of Juvenile and Criminal Justice points to the benefits of arts in cor rections. The research, published

in Justice Policy Journal, found that 45% of participants in prison arts programs reported getting along better with corrections staff since being in a program. The report also revealed that participants had 33% fewer disciplinary reports than the general population, and 63% said they now got along better with other incarcerated individuals. The longer a person had been in an arts pro gram, the fewer infractions they had. “RTA plays a vital role in shifting mindsets and behaviors, and I am proud of our collaborative efforts and confident that this ongoing partnership will continue to enhance public safety through the arts.” — Daniel F. Martuscello III, DOCCS Commissioner RTA is a stellar model of an arts in-corrections model with a proven track record. In an environment where it’s difficult for incarcerated individuals to trust one another, RTA builds a community that strengthens the culture inside facilities. Members also serve as role models. “I saw Dino Johnson doing ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’” says Clarence Maclin, an RTA alumnus who co-stars in “ Sing Sing .” “I was

in the audience, and you know, to see the brothers that I normally see spinning in the yard or in the gym or in the mess hall up there on stage, creating art and getting the respons es back from the audience, I wanted to be part of that. RTA gave me back the gift of artistry, to be able to cre ate and express myself.” RTA members are also more likely to pursue higher education while incarcerated than their peers outside the program, according to a report written by SUNY Purchase and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and published in the Journal of Correction Education . Dario Penã, a program alumnus, noted that “RTA introduced me to all the other programs that were going on in prison. I ended up earn ing a bachelor’s degree from Mercy University and then a master’s in professional studies from the New York Theological Seminary.” The benefits of RTA’s arts work shops also extend to participants’ families, helping to break the generational cycle of incarceration. Greater emotional self-awareness and improved communication skills strengthen the quality of relationships. In some facilities, family members may attend perfor mances, further reenforcing ties. Stronger bonds not only improve behavior on the inside, but also help with reentry. Finally, RTA can help everyday Americans save money. The US spends more than $80 billion a year on re-incarceration. RTA’s proven and dramatic impact on recidivism saves taxpayers millions of dollars each year. →

Summer 2025 | Corrections Today

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