In November 2016, we were thrilled to launch a program at the California Institution for Women in partnership with Just Detention International. This program marks our fifth program in a detention setting, and the first time we’re working with a program partner to adapt our curriculum specifically for this population. The story about Je’Anna, an AWBW workshop participant, below was written by staff at Just Detention International and shared in their April 2017 newsletter.

A prisoner at the California Institution for Women (CIW), Je’Anna sometimes feels as if her life runs on a loop. Wake up at 6:00. Head to the chow hall. Watch a bit of TV. Go to work. Stand for count. Dinner. Count again. Lights out.

Je’Anna’s day has followed this same routine since she arrived at CIW in 2015. Except today. On this particular afternoon prison does not seem at all dull or monotonous to Je’Anna. She’s seated around a table with eight other prisoners; the table is a colorful mess, with assorted art supplies everywhere. One of the women takes an orange glob of clay, rolling it into several thin strands, which she applies to the top of a mask that has eyes, a nose, and mouth.

“Check out my new haircut,” she says. The woman next to her cracks up, and the laughter becomes contagious, drowning out the music in the background. But for their prison-issued denims, you might think they were at a party in someone’s home.

The mask-making activity is part of a new JDI program that brings art into CIW, thanks to a partnership with A Window Between Worlds (AWBW). AWBW is a nonprofit organization that uses art workshops to help people who have been affected by trauma.

After participating in AWBW’s leadership training, JDI staff are adapting the art workshops, for the first time, to a prison setting.

Je’Anna and her peers gather for a workshop where they draw, sculpt, and make collages. These art workshops offer more than a respite from the grind of prison life; they give participants a gentle way to process painful feelings, develop a sense of self-worth, and build hope for the future — even while incarcerated. This type of space is sorely needed at CIW, where, as in most women’s prisons, the vast majority of inmates are survivors of abuse in the community.

“The amazing thing about art is that it lets people express emotions that they might not feel safe talking about with one another,” said Desiree Magsombol, a JDI Program Director and one of the workshop facilitators. “It can be dangerous to appear vulnerable and to open yourself up to others in prison. Our aim is to give people a safe place to work through some of their pain and to connect with each other, in an environment that is relaxed and free of judgement.”

At the end of the day’s workshop, Je’Anna has finished two masks. She explained, “All my life I’ve been forced to wear a mask to hide my abuse and the shame and guilt the abuse induced.” Her first mask represents the negative thoughts she still struggles with as a result of the abuse she has endured in her life — but the second one represents a vision of her inner self as strong, resilient, and nurturing. She’s proud of her handiwork. She said, “The workshops bring about clearer awareness that I am not alone in my feelings and that I can feel safe releasing them.”