A look at the Michigan Prison Creative Arts Project
Producer: Andrew Zimmerman Uploaded by: Andrew Zimmerman
Across America, prison populations explode as politicians play tough on crime and the war on drugs escalates. At the same time, prisoner's rights are under increasing attack as states curtail legal and civil rights, reduce educational opportunities, and pander to powerful guard unions. But amid the growing prison industrial complex there are groups working to change attitudes towards prisoners, reminding the public that not all prisoners are violent criminals and drug kingpins. One such group is the Prison Creative Arts Project, or PCAP, based at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. By holding art, theatre and writing workshops in medium security prisons throughout Michigan, PCAP shatters the conventional stereotypes of how inmates think and act. By giving prisoners a voice, PCAP challenges us to rethink our attitudes towards crime, punishment, incarceration, and rehabilitation.
In this program we hear the philosophy and practice of PCAP from Buzz Alexander, an English professor at Michigan who started PCAP in 1990; Janie Paul, who teaches art at the University of Michigan and in Michigan prisons; and Caitlin Smith and David Lee, their students.
Bruderhof Radio is a semi-monthly production of the Bruderhof Communities, www.bruderhof.org. Bruderhof Radio is provided free of charge to all public, progressive, and community radio stations. For more info, see our website at www.freespeech.org/bruderhof or contact the producers at (800) 778-8461ext 239 or redzim@bruderhof.com
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