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Art in Criminal Justice

A Black man wearing glasses, dark green prison pants and a tan sweater is holding a microphone as he asks a question to a woman in the foreground who is sitting on a chair and her back turned to the camera. Alongside the man sit four other men in the same green prison pants and a variety of shirts. Members of the audience look on from their blue-colored seats.
Feature October 29
Incarcerated Men at Sing Sing’s First Film Festival Reflect on Movies, Justice, and Change
The diverse group of jurors shared how their favorite films have shaped their perspectives on community and life behind bars.
By and
An illustration shows a bearded Black man, wearing a kufi cap and red prison uniform, holding up a phone to his ear. While on the phone, he writes lyrics onto a notebook.
Life Inside May 31
I Recorded a Whole Hip-Hop Album on a Death Row Telephone
In this new book excerpt, incarcerated rapper Alim “RRome Alone” Braxton describes his early attempts to record vocals over a phone in the dayroom.
By Alim Braxton and Mark Katz
Two people, wearing all black clothing, stand and view more than a hundred portraits of incarcerated men on display, on an art gallery wall.
Closing Argument August 12, 2023
What the New Wave of Prison Art Tells Us About Incarceration Today
From LEGO sculptures to psychedelic quilts, several new exhibits convey the prison experience in ways that transcend words alone.
By
Khayr Muhammad leaps in the air with a cape in his right hand, streaming behind him.
The Frame January 14, 2022
“Wild: Bird of Paradise” Envisions a World Without Prisons or Police
The final installment of Jeremy McQueen’s dance film explores the challenges and fears of being a young Black man in New York City.
By
At the MoMA PS1 exhibit “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” artist Gilberto Rivera shows Helena Huang of the Art for Justice Fund his 2012 work “An Institutional Nightmare.”
The Frame March 15, 2021
Spotlighting the Ingenuity of Artists Behind Bars
On exhibit at MoMA PS1, “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Incarceration” is a rich exploration of how artists adapt to limited materials and endless time.
by
The Frame November 25, 2019
How This Prison Collaborated on a Larger-Than-Life Work of Art
French artist JR worked with California prisoners to create his latest installation.
By
The Frame October 4, 2018
The Prison Portraits
A Pennsylvania artist draws hundreds of fellow inmates to show the scale of mass incarceration.
By
Illustrations by Mark Loughney
Jason Naradzay, far left, plays violin as part of the Riverside Quartet at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
Life Inside July 5, 2018
Learning Violin Helped Me Survive Prison
How one former inmate found healing—and himself—through music.
By Jason Naradzay
Commentary February 5, 2018
Reentry: a Triptych
“What name for this thing we’ve become? For stigma, close as kin?”
By Reginald Dwayne Betts
News January 24, 2018
The Ultimate Insider Art
On Tennessee’s death row, the old aphorism applies: art is long, life is short.
By Jeremy Olds
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