Art and the Prison Crisis (1982)

An Impact Production, 1982. Interviews with inmates, correctional officers, instructors, Arts in Corrections coordinators, Bill Cleveland, Director, Arts in Corrections, State of California and Ruth Rushen, Director, Department of Corrections, State of California. Music and art created by inmates in the California prison system. Produced by Eric Thiermann, Mark Schwartz. Directed and photographed by Eric Thiermann. Edited by Mark Schwartz. The William James Association Prison Arts Project (PAP) began as a pilot project in 1977 at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville, with funding provided by the San Francisco Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The success of this initial program led to the formation of Arts-in-Corrections, an administrative office within the California Department of Corrections, which oversaw the staffing of artist-facilitators at all prisons in California. In 2009, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation laid off staff in education, vocational, substance abuse, and other inmates programs, including the one Artist Facilitator at each prison.