Creative Justice: An Arts-Based Alternative to Youth Incarceration (2015)
PROJECT OVERVIEW
http://creativejustice.4culture.org
Daemond Arrindell
http://creativejustice.4culture.org
Nikkita Oliver
http://creativejustice.4culture.org
Otieno Stephens-Terry
http://creativejustice.4culture.org
Shontina Vernon
http://creativejustice.4culture.org
Creative Justice is an arts-based alternative to incarceration for young people in King County, Washington. Through collaboration with mentor artists, participants consider the root causes of incarceration as they intersect with racism, classism, and other oppressions, and focus on the positive role youth voices can have in building a more just and equitable society. Piloted in 2015 with Percent for Art revenue generated through the design and construction of King County’s new Children and Family Justice Center (which will collocate the region’s juvenile court and jail) and a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, 48 youth facing criminal charges worked with multidisciplinary artists instead of being detained. In exchange for their creative work and through partnership with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, participants received community service credit, cash stipends, and a range of court benefits. Of the 48 participants, 29 had their charges dismissed.
PROJECT LOCATION
PROJECT TEAM
King County Youth Services Center (Juvenile Court and Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention)