Tag: Prison

An app is inspiring children to read books. But as a non-profit organisation in the US has shown, books are also highly valuable in prisons. The organisation’s founder, a former prison resident himself for nine years, discovered how stories and books could provide perspective during his long stay in solitary confinement. In the meantime, the registered lawyer has been...

When it comes to hair extensions, environmentally-friendly alternatives are available. Sustainability is also a key theme for an education programme in Washington D.C., which allows jail residents to train as hairdressers and beauticians. Led by four experts, trainees practise on mannequins first. Later, skills can be honed on fellow inhabitants or civilians, albeit with trimmers instead of scissors and...

An opera is giving homeless people a stage. Film is ploughing its own furrow too: October saw the first ever film festival take place inside a US-prison. The festival was founded by a female press volunteer at California’s oldest state penitentiary and a former prison resident whose podcast was listed as a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Over two days, six...

Not long ago, birdsong stormed the charts in Australia. And now two artists in the greater Washington area have combined with musicians, producers and students to set local prison residents’ lyrics to music. The songs were written by incarcerated people and initially sung by them a cappella. Financial support came from a university team. Their initiative is aimed at...

Mothers appreciate support to re-establish themselves professionally. Incarcerated people, too. All this thanks to an entrepreneurial US couple, whose non-profit organisation allows prison residents to participate in 6-month programming courses in Javascript and HTML. Or create and sound edit videos. Knowledge that increases their chances of finding jobs upon their release. An employment rate of over 80% for returned...

Where do you go after ten years in prison with only $200 in your back pocket and no existing family ties? A US organization has taken it upon itself to provide an answer. ‘The Homecoming Project’ gives American citizens the chance to temporarily house recently released former prisoners. All that’s required is a spare room. Instead of winding up...