Study Results September 2009

Purchase College, SUNY and New York State Department of Correctional Service

Purchase College, SUNY initiated a study in 2008 to assess whether prisoners participating in RTA were more motivated to participate in other prison programs, particularly educational programs that are voluntary. In a unique collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services, RTA participants were compared to an equal number of prisoners who had not participated in the RTA program.

They found that although the two groups did not differ in their level of education when they entered the prison system, more RTA participants spent more time in educational programs post-GED than members of a matched comparison group. 

Study Results  2003

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Thirty-five inmates whose length of involvement in Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA) ranged from 6 months to 6 years were compared with thirty men from the general prison population.  The two groups were matched on race, age, education, crime and the length of sentence.  The participants completed a battery of tests, which included standardized psychological inventories that measure interpersonal trust, self-esteem, coping responses, anger levels, empathy and social responsibility.  Researchers also examined disciplinary records for both groups over the six-month duration of the study to compare infraction rates (rule violations) and positive outcomes (job promotions, rehab and educational programs and good behavior transfers).  Assessments were made twice, before and after the fall production, “Slam.”

The two groups differed in a number of important ways:  (1) The RTA group reported a higher level of positive coping than the control group.  (2)  Although RTA participants had a higher level of anger than the control participants at the outset of the study, the anger levels of RTA participants declined at the second assessment, while the anger levels of the control participants increased.  (3)  RTA participants had fewer infractions and spent fewer days in keeplock (locked in their cells as a disciplinary measure resulting from a violation of prison rules) than the control group of participants.

The amount of time inmates were active in RTA was correlated with negative and positive outcomes.  The analysis pointed to a strong pattern:  The longer the inmate was in the program, the fewer violations he committed.  A longer period of participation predicted a higher level of social responsibility.  This suggests that RTA participants are more dependable, more socially mature and, sacrifice individual needs for the welfare of a group more than control participants.

It’s different than any other program I’ve experienced. It’s not peaches and cream, there’s a lot of conflict and it’s hard work but I think it’s the conflict that really defines who we are. We understand that if anything bad happens, it’s going to damage the program. We believe in the program so much that we hold each other in check and regulate each other’s behavior.RTA Participant, Woodbourne Correctional Facility